In advance of Hurricane Dorian, a White House source to Axios claimed that Trump said, “I got it. I got it. Why don’t we nuke them?” The source said that everyone present was shocked by the suggestion.

Trump immediately called the report fake news, even though a senior White House official defended his suggestion by saying, “His goal — to keep a catastrophic hurricane from hitting the mainland — is not bad. His objective is not bad.”

Trump went on to suggest he’d not even heard of Axios, the outlet that broke the story, despite having had multiple interviews with them and tweeting their stories in the past.

Trump also altered a map of the hurricane’s path with a Sharpie after incorrectly claiming that it would affect Alabama.

Axios – Scoop: Trump suggested nuking hurricanes to stop them from hitting U.S.
Wired – While You Were Offline: Could a Nuclear Bomb Stop a Hurricane?
Time – President Trump Denies Wanting to Nuke Hurricanes to Stop Them From Hitting the U.S.
USA Today – You can’t nuke a hurricane to stop it, as Trump reportedly suggested. Here’s why