Camilla Jessen
Donald Trump says the United States will resume nuclear weapons testing.
U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Russia and China of conducting secret nuclear weapons tests and announced that the United States will resume its own testing program for the first time in more than 30 years.
In an interview with CBS News on Oct. 29, Trump said it was necessary for the U.S. to return to testing in order to maintain its nuclear deterrent.
“Russia has announced they’re testing. North Korea tests all the time. Other countries are testing too… I don’t want us to be the only country that isn’t testing,” Trump said.
When pressed on whether this meant live detonations, Trump responded, “We will test nuclear weapons, just like other countries.”
He also claimed that China, Pakistan, and Russia were all testing weapons in secret.
Trump described the U.S. arsenal as the largest in the world, capable of “blowing up the world 150 times,” and warned that China could reach U.S. levels within five years.
Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the decision, calling it a “very responsible way” to ensure deterrence.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified that the initial tests would be subcritical, meaning they do not produce a nuclear chain reaction or explosion.
Russia has denied conducting nuclear tests. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed that the country remains committed to the moratorium on nuclear explosions set in the 1990s.
