While boasting that the U.S. possesses more nuclear weapons than any other country, Donald Trump has instructed the “Department of War” to “start testing” them. The former president claimed this move was a necessary response to alleged, clandestine testing by rivals.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed the U.S. arsenal was updated during his first term, but that testing was now required “on an equal basis” with other nations. “I hated it, but had no choice,” he wrote.
In an interview with CBS, he expanded on this, claiming Russia and China are testing “way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening.” He dismissed the lack of public evidence, saying, “this is a big world. You don’t necessarily know where they’re testing.”
China has rejected these claims as baseless. A foreign ministry spokesperson reiterated China’s position as a “responsible nuclear-weapons state” that remains fully committed to its long-held suspension of nuclear testing.
Trump’s order, which follows news of a new Russian missile test, has raised questions about a new arms race. He also claimed to have discussed denuclearization with both President Putin and President Xi, even as he signaled a major U.S. escalation.