'Let it be an arms race': Trump doubles down on terrifying nuke plan on 'Morning Joe'

President-elect Donald Trump alarmed many observers on Thursday with his remarks that America would have to significantly build up its nuclear arsenal -- and he's not backing down at all.

Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski talked with Trump on Friday morning, and they say he really intends to start a nuclear arms race once he takes office.

"Let it be an arms race, we will outlast them at every pass," Trump responded when asked if his plan to build up America's nuclear weapons power could lead other countries to do the same.

Washington Post columnist David Ignatius was asked to respond to Trump's remarks, and he was aghast that the president-elect had decided to make his nuclear arms plan sound even scarier than it did when he first tweeted about it Thursday.

"You can create space, but the space is then there to be able to negotiate, not to throw more wood on the fire," he said. "If you say, 'What I really do want is an arms race,' you're going to lose the country. The country doesn't want another arms race."

Watch video of Morning Joe reacting to Trump's statements below.