Obama Nuclear Launch Codes Hoax: ‘New Yorker’ Article Says President Obama Taking Launch Codes, Freaking Out Some Folks
The clues that the article that claims President Obama is taking the nuclear launch codes with him when he leaves office is a hoax are slight. First off, there’s the “satire” listed next to the article’s title in Google, which reads “Obama Plans to Take Nuclear Launch Codes With Him When He Leaves Office” by the New Yorker.
While people are freaking out about President Obama taking the nuclear launch codes with him from the White House and missing the subtle strains of satire, the New Yorker seems to be turning into the Onion. The only other clue for the uninitiated that President Obama might not actually grab those nuclear launch codes and abscond them from the nation’s capital lies in the writer’s description and the mention of “comedian” in his bio.
“Andy Borowitz is a New York Times best-selling author and a comedian who has written for The New Yorker since 1998. He writes the Borowitz Report for newyorker.com.”
Those hints haven’t stopped folks from understanding Andy’s realistic satire. It’s a satire so slight that some folks are freaking out on Facebook and Twitter, writing their opinions about the audacity of Mr. Obama being so presumptuous as to take the nuclear launch codes with him. Others are in on the joke it seems and are writing about their relief that President Obama would take the nuclear launch codes with him.
The article claimed that President Obama appeared on TV to say that as of January of 2017, the nuclear codes would stay safely with him in order “to reassure the American people” by performing the unorthodox move of keeping the nuclear launch codes.
The inference is that folks don’t trust people like Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton with the nuclear launch codes as much as they would trust President Obama to keep them. Like all good satire, this nuclear launch codes article is based on truth and on current topics and fears.
Listen, I know this is a joke but I still found it comforting https://t.co/CJLuL6bXe9
— . (@whistlehello) March 17, 2016
Snippets from the piece show that President Obama wouldn’t likely hold up the nuclear launch codes in a briefcase at a press conference, nor would he likely end one with the words “I got this.”
“In recent weeks, there has been a rising level of alarm about who might have access to these codes going forward. As a result, it occurred to me that the safest thing would be if I just held on to them for the foreseeable future…only if it is necessary. We’re just going to have to see how everything plays out. You can all sleep well at night. I got this.”
A search for launch codes on Facebook returns reactions to President Obama that prove not everyone is in on the joke.
“Just don’t give them to Trump.”
“He who makes nuclear deals with Iran?? Do not want the codes in his hands NOW!.”
“Well, Obama can never allow Trump to have those launch codes–I mean if the human race is to survive.”
“Seriously, can you imagine Donald Trump having access to the nuclear launch codes? Now that’s just scary!”
“He must be stopped! TRUMP HELP!”
“What, so he can give them to his Muslim buddies???”
On Twitter, a search for nuclear launch codes also brings similar reactions, with some folks happy that Mr. Obama will “hold on to the nuclear launch codes,” while others want them given to someone else. With satire like this, it’s hard to tell who is joking and who isn’t joking.
[Photo by Andrew Harnik/AP]
