President Donald Trump downplayed the resumption of U.S. nuclear testing for the first time in more than three decades by pointing to other countries who are doing the same.
In a Truth Social post Thursday, the president said he directed the Pentagon to âimmediatelyâ testing nuclear weapons âon an equal basisâ with other countries with nuclear powers.
Trump wrote the post just before his meeting with Chinaâs President Xi Jinping. After the meeting, on his way back to Washington, DC on Air Force One, reporters asked him what prompted the decision.
“With others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also,” the U.S. president told reporters. âWe have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We donât do testingâhalted it many years ago. With others doing testing, I think itâs appropriate that we do testing also.â
When pressed as to when the nuclear testing would begin, Trump said the timing would âbe announced.â
Earlier in the day, he wrote on Truth Social: âThe 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!â
âRussia 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. That process will begin immediately.â
The last confirmed U.S. nuclear test was in 1992 under President George H.W. Bush while Chinaâs was in 1996.
Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow had successfully tested its nuclear-powered missile.
“It is a unique ware which nobody else in the world has,” Putin said.
As of last year, Russia had an estimated 4,300 nuclear warheads in its military stockpile while the U.S. had about 3,700, according to the Federation of American Scientists.
