The explosion of a nuclear missile in the heart of heavily populated Europe would be an unprecedented act that would kill hundreds of thousands   perhaps millions   of people. Donald Trump told MSNBC s Chris Matthews that he would refuse the suggestion that he take such a horrible idea off the table.The exchange occurred during a televised  town hall  interview between the current Republican frontrunner and the MSNBC host.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCj0B7HhEFsWhen host Chris Matthews asked if the real estate mogul could definitively say he wouldn t use nuclear weapons, he responded:  I would never say that. I would never take any of my cards off the table. Matthews pressed him, asking if he would consider using nuclear weapons in Europe. No, I don t think so,  Trump said, but he again said he wouldn t definitively write off the option.In a New York Times interview published over the weekend, Trump stressed the importance of unpredictability in his foreign policy. He told Matthews Wednesday that  you d be a bad negotiator  for taking any strategy off the table.Trump s comments ironically echo the sentiments of 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, who is considered the first person in the mold of a modern conservative to be a major party nominee in America.In an interview, Goldwater said he would consider the use of low-yield atomic bombs in North Vietnam, in order to defoliate forests, and to destroy bridges and railroad lines leading to China. The policy was so extreme and out there, that it became the basis of what is one of the most famous political ads ever,  Daisy,  released by Lyndon Johnson s campaign. The ad contrasted Goldwater s casual support of atomic war versus the policies of the Johnson administration.The ad only aired once. Johnson went on to one of the largest electoral victories in U.S. history. He won 61% of the popular vote and 486 electoral votes to Johnson s 52 (his home state of Arizona and the 5 states in the pro-segregation south).Featured image via Wikimedia Commons/Flickr