Trump Announces Resumption of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing to Match Russia and China
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will resume nuclear weapons testing, citing escalating global threats and the need to stay on par with adversaries like Russia and China.
In a statement posted to Truth Social, Trump declared, “The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country. This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term. Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”
The president followed up with a video message in which he expressed reluctance about the decision, but said it was necessary. “Because of the tremendous destructive power, I hated to do it, having to do with nuclear weapons, but I really had no choice,” Trump said. “Russia is second in line, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years.”
Trump’s move comes amid rising concerns within U.S. intelligence circles about renewed nuclear activity abroad. During a weekend interview on “60 Minutes,” the president warned that America’s adversaries have quietly ramped up their own programs.
“Russia’s testing nuclear weapons. And China’s testing them too. You just don’t know about it,” Trump said. “We’re going to test, because they test and others test.”
The announcement is expected to rattle international arms control efforts and raises questions about the future of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which has not been ratified by the U.S. but has remained a longstanding point of diplomatic leverage.
Russia responded swiftly to Trump’s comments. President Vladimir Putin convened his Security Council Wednesday and suggested Moscow would reassess its position on nuclear testing.
“No one knows what Trump meant about ‘nuclear testing’ (he probably doesn’t himself),” Russian Security Council Deputy Chair Dmitry Medvedev posted on X. “But he’s the president of the United States. And the consequences of such words are inescapable: Russia will be forced to assess the expediency of conducting full-fledged nuclear tests itself.”
Trump also pointed to North Korea and Pakistan as other nations actively testing nuclear arms. “We’re an open society. We’re different. We talk about it,” Trump said. “We have to talk about it, because otherwise you people are going to report.”
The decision signals a dramatic escalation in global nuclear tensions, and reinforces Trump’s commitment to military superiority amid rising threats from adversaries abroad.