Trump orders Department of War to 'immediately' start nuclear testing 'because of other countries'

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Thursday, October 30, announced on Truth Social that he directed the Department of War to “immediately start nuclear weapon testing” on an “equal basis.” Trump’s announcement comes as Russia tests two nuclear-powered weapons - the 9M730 Burevestnik missile and the Poseidon underwater drone

Trump said the move aims to keep the United States on par with other world powers and confirmed that “the process will begin immediately,” signalling a major shift in US nuclear policy. 

Donald Trump directs immediate start of US nuclear weapons tests'

The president claimed the United States possesses more nuclear weapons than any other country and said he had “no choice” but to act.

He wrote, “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 in office. Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice.”

He continued, “Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years. Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”

To emphasize urgency, he concluded, “That process will begin immediately.” The post gained over 11,800 reactions, 2,940 reposts, and 1,020 comments within two hours of being shared.

Why timing of Donald Trump’s nuclear testing matters

Trump’s call for “immediate” nuclear testing came just hours before his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 30. It remains unclear what kind of testing he referred to or whether his post was a response to Russia’s recent nuclear activity.

Trump had previously described Russia’s missile tests as “inappropriate” and advised Vladimir Putin to focus on ending the conflict in Ukraine. He said, “I don't think it's an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying either. By the way, he ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its fourth year. That's what he ought to do instead of testing missiles."

Putin, meanwhile, claimed that no other country can stop the Poseidon missile, calling it an important part of Russia’s defense.

In his post, Trump reiterated that the US holds more nuclear weapons than any nation and claimed he was left with “no choice.” Congresswoman Dina Titus quickly responded on X, writing, “Absolutely not. I’ll be introducing legislation to put a stop to this.”

According to NBC News, Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced that his country had tested its “unique” nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile.

While Trump didn’t mention specific figures, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) estimates the US has about 5,044 warheads, while Russia holds roughly 5,500—the world’s largest stockpile. 

US upheld nuclear test freeze since 1992, but kept option open

The United States has not conducted any explosive nuclear tests since 1992, although it retains the ability to resume if necessary.

Back in 2020, there were internal discussions during Trump’s first term about restarting nuclear tests, but both his and President Joe Biden’s administrations upheld the testing moratorium.

As reported by Raw Story, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration stated in 2024 that the US had “no technical reasons” to conduct such tests. However, the latest directive from Trump suggests that the position may be shifting.

So far, no official response has been posted on the Department of War’s X (formerly Twitter) account regarding Trump’s latest statement.