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Donald Trump seems to be entering his own nuclear era. During a major week of travel across Asia, the president has shockingly announced that he has ordered the Pentagon to resume U.S. nuclear weapons testing, ending a program that had been shut down since 1992.
The US last conducted a nuclear test in 1992, when it began a voluntary moratorium on such explosive testing.
The declaration marks a dramatic shift in American defense policy and raises immediate global concerns about a renewed nuclear arms race.
«The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.»
A post on Truth Social
Donald Trump defended his decision in a post on Truth Social, framing it as a necessary act of strength rather than aggression.
«I HATED to do it, but had no choice!»
-Donald Trump
Trump began by asserting America's dominance in nuclear capability, positioning the United States as the uncontested leader in global military power: «The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.»
In reality, Russia currently possesses a slightly larger overall nuclear stockpile than the United States.
Trump did not deliver a “complete update”
The president then credited his first term with modernizing the U.S. arsenal, presenting the decision as a continuation of his earlier defense agenda: «This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office.»
In reality, most modernization projects of the U.S. nuclear arsenal were long-term programs launched under previous administrations and still ongoing today; experts note that Trump's term accelerated funding but did not deliver a “complete update” or full renovation as he claimed.
«Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.»
A world without nuclear weapons
He attempted to justify the move by portraying it as reluctant but unavoidable, acknowledging the destructive nature of nuclear weapons while implying that renewed testing was inevitable: «Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice!»
This stance contrasts sharply with Trump's earlier statements as president, when he repeatedly claimed to seek global denuclearization — including his 2018 remarks after meeting Kim Jong-un, where he said he wanted «A world without nuclear weapons.»
Trump current justification therefore reverses the position he once promoted as a goal of his foreign policy.
Trump tried to justify his decision by comparing U.S. capabilities to those of its rivals, claiming that «Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years» even though Russia currently holds a slightly larger nuclear stockpile than the United States, and most experts strongly doubt that China could reach parity within such a short timeframe.
«That process will begin immediately.»
Only North Korea
The president asserted: «Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.»
However, since the early 1990s almost all declared nuclear-weapon states have observed a moratorium on explosive nuclear weapons tests, with only North Korea conducting tests in recent decades.
Trump concluded by declaring that the process would begin without delay — one of his most shocking decisions since returning to the White House: «That process will begin immediately.»
Trump directs Pentagon to ‘immediately' start testing US nuclear weapons
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