Retired CIA analyst Larry Johnson was interviewed on the YouTube program Judging Freedom and spoke of a nuclear standoff between the military and Donald Trump. He alleged that the president attempted to access the nuclear codes during an emergency White House meeting. However, he was stopped by a senior military official.
According to shocking claims, Trump made the attempt on Saturday during an urgent meeting relating to Iran.
“One report coming out of that meeting at the White House is that Trump wanted to… use the nuclear codes, and General Dan Caine stood up and said ‘No’. He invoked his privilege as the head of the military, so to speak. It was apparently quite a blow-up,” Johnson said, adding, “There are pictures of Caine coming out of that meeting with his head down to the ground.”
“There’s some very, very bizarre things going on in DC,” Johnson added.
According to retired CIA analyst Larry Johnson: During an emergency meeting On Saturday Trump tried to “use the nuclear codes” on Iran and he was stopped by General Dan Caine.
According to Johnson “there is seriously something wrong with Trump”: pic.twitter.com/9x5LONnnsm
— Jimmy Dore (@jimmy_dore) April 20, 2026
The claims come after reports that military advisers sidelined Donald Trump from the Situation Room during an ongoing critical Iran rescue operation. However, the claims have not yet been independently confirmed, and it is uncertain whether accessing the nuclear codes was an option.
Reportedly, Trump was excluded from key discussions relating to the Iran War, amid concerns of his volatile disposition. As reported by the Mirror US, top administration officials were worried that his erratic behavior could compromise the mission.
Apparently, following the downing of a US aircraft by Iranian forces earlier in April, the US president spent several hours shouting at personnel in the West Wing, as memories of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis came to the fore.
The US has been engaged in the Iran war together with Israel since February 28, which started with coordinated airstrikes on multiple key Iranian installations. As this happened, Iran responded by striking locations, particularly US military bases, across the Middle East. This then led to the region being plunged into chaos and closed off the critical Strait of Hormuz shipping route.
While a temporary ceasefire is in place, no permanent solutions for peace have yet been reached, and the prospect of peace negotiations still hangs in the balance.
Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, made a post on X (formerly Twitter) early on Tuesday, writing, “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats. He added that the Islamic Republic has been preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”
Ghalibaf: “Trump seeks to turn this negotiating table, in his own imagination, into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering.”
“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats.”
“We have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”
Iran hardening… https://t.co/ICKWoyb92w
— Armaan Sidhu (@realarmaansidhu) April 21, 2026
While Iran is not officially recognized as a nuclear-armed state, it is believed to possess uranium enrichment capabilities and this could potentially enable it to develop nuclear weapons.
In the meantime, it is unclear whether, or under what circumstances, the US nuclear codes could be utilized.
