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Trump Called Nepal And Bhutan 'Nipple' And 'Button' In Intel Briefing: Time's John Walcott

The national security reporter says on CNN that the president is alarmingly out of touch in White House intelligence sessions.

President Donald Trump mispronounced Nepal and Bhutan as “Nipple” and Button” in a White House meeting with intelligence officials — and noted incorrectly that they’re both part of India, Time magazine’s national security correspondent John Walcott told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin on Monday.

“Wait, seriously? That’s what he said?” asked a stunned Baldwin. “Seriously,” responded Walcott, who raised the stumble as one more example of what he termed Trump’s “ignorance.”

Walcott discussed his article Saturday in Time that said sources in the intelligence community are concerned that the president presents a national security risk because of his “willful ignorance” about international affairs and his refusal to listen to advice from his intelligence experts.

Walcott reported that “multiple” sources — including analysts who prepare the president’s classified intelligence briefings and officials who present them — are also disturbed by Trump’s apparent inability to concentrate on information. His focus fades even with colorful visual aids and shortened briefing points, and even when officials “repeat his name and title as frequently as possible,” Walcott reported.

When Trump is presented with facts he does not agree with, he erupts in anger and goes his own way, according to Walcott’s sources.

“The real underlying concern is what might happen if the nation is suddenly hit with a real national security crisis out of the blue,” Walcott noted on CNN. “How will the president respond?” Will Trump “stop and listen and think about that response first — or again, will he simply react on instinct?” Walcott asked.

Several sources have told other reporters about Trump’s apparent inability to focus and his anger when he disagrees with something he is told.

When former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan attempted to explain heath care to Trump, the president wandered away and turned on a TV in the next room, according to a new book by former White House communications staff member Cliff Sims.

Trump’s “Nipple” and “Button” goof-ups were previously reported in Politico. Sources said the president also pointed to India on a map he was shown and said he was aware that both nations he was attempting to refer to were part of India.

In a public speech to African leaders in the United Nations in 2017, the president referred twice to the nation of Namibia as “Nambia.”

Check out Walcott’s interview above. He mentions the Nipple slip-up at 1:35. The rest of the interview is more troubling.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.