Trump: Nuclear Weapons Tests Will Resume 'Immediately'

President Trump on Wednesday announced he has ordered the Pentagon to "immediately" resume testing nuclear weapons, citing the need to keep pace with rival nations' programs. The president made the announcement on Truth Social just before a highly watched meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, NBC News reports. "Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," he wrote. "That process will begin immediately." The United States has not conducted a confirmed nuclear test since 1992, when a moratorium began under President George HW Bush. The US has the capability to restart tests at a federal site in Nevada. Trump's move comes as he sharpens his public focus on US military strength.

He argued that resuming tests is about maintaining parity with other nations, declaring that the US has the largest arsenal, followed by Russia, then China—a country he claimed could catch up within five years. However, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons lists Russia as having the most confirmed warheads, with the US a close second; together they hold about 90% of the world's nuclear weapons. Trump declined to elaborate when pressed by reporters about the policy shift. Earlier in the week, he called denuclearization a key goal and criticized Russia's recent tests of new nuclear-capable weapons, yet said he believed both Russia and China could eventually support arms reductions. The tests of Russia's new cruise missile, which reportedy flew 8,700 miles, were condemned internationally, the Hill reports.

China, for its part, has rejected US appeals to cut stockpiles. The Washington Post calls Trump's statement "an apparent attempt to flex the United States' military might ahead of a high-stakes trade meeting." The announcement drew immediate backlash from Democrats, especially in Nevada, where lawmakers vowed to fight any new tests. The state legislature recently passed a resolution urging the federal government to keep the moratorium in place.