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Joe Biden bragged that he had a “code to blow up the world” as he talked about nuclear weapons during a visit to the world’s largest windmill factory. The president then incorrectly referred to his predecessor as “Congressman Trump” in a gaffe-strewn appearance. As he approached three Yellow Vests from the Colorado factory, one of them appeared to ask the president an inaudible question. Biden responded, “Look, my Marine carries that. It has a code to blow up the world. That’s not the case, this isn’t… nuclear weapons, okay, okay… you think I’m joking.’
The codes for launching nuclear weapons – which are on a card known as the ‘nuclear cookie’ – are kept in a black box called the ‘nuclear football’. A military aide carries the suitcase and stays close to the president when he travels. In a subsequent speech at CS Wind in Pueblo, Colorado, Biden attacked the cuts that he said “Congressman Trump and Boebert want to make.” That was a reference to Lauren Boebert, the Republican congresswoman from Colorado whose district he visited during his trip.
The ‘nuclear football’ is officially known as the Presidential Emergency Satchel. It is a large briefcase that contains plans for nuclear war and allows the president to transmit nuclear orders to the Pentagon. Carrying the heavy load is a military officer who is never far behind the president, whether the commander-in-chief is boarding a helicopter or leaving meetings with world leaders.
In the late 1950s, President Dwight Eisenhower and his advisors worried about vulnerability to a surprise nuclear attack. So that the president could make quick decisions, a military aide began carrying a bag of documents that would help him communicate with the Pentagon. Initially, the bag and military aide only followed the president on trips outside Washington.
In the early 1960s, it became known as “football” under President John F. Kennedy. This is believed to be due to the Kennedy family’s fondness for touch football. Some vice presidents have also been accompanied by a military aide carrying a “nuclear football” so they would have the codes in case something happened to the president. When he landed in Pueblo, Colorado, Biden failed to stop and meet with those gathered to greet him.
He didn’t seem to see or even initially acknowledge Senator John Hickenlooper and Mayor Nick Gradisar. Instead, he headed straight for “the Beast,” his armored presidential limousine. Before boarding, he was informed of the surveillance and spent a few minutes with the two dignitaries. He later apologized in his speech at the wind turbine factory.
He said, “I knew I was going to be late, so I came straight down the stairs to Air Force One. I ran right past it.’ Biden also stumbled slightly as he boarded the plane en route to Pueblo, quickly grabbing a railing and regaining his balance. The president used his speech to criticize Boebert, whose district includes the wind turbine factory.
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