Donald Trump’s instruction to the “Department of War” to “start testing” nuclear weapons threatens to shatter a decades-long global taboo on nuclear explosions. The former president justified the move with unverified claims that Russia and China are already doing so in secret.
The order was announced in a social media post where Trump claimed he “had no choice” but to resume testing “on an equal basis.” This was followed by a CBS interview where he elaborated, “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it.”
Beijing’s foreign ministry issued an immediate denial, asserting that China is a “responsible nuclear-weapons state” that maintains a “self-defence” posture and has honored its commitment to suspend testing.
Trump’s claims have been met with skepticism, as only North Korea is known to have conducted a nuclear test in the 21st century. Trump dismissed this, alleging rivals were testing “way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening.”
The timing of the order is notable, coming after Russia tested a new nuclear-powered missile. Trump also used the interview to boast about the U.S. arsenal, claiming it could “blow up the world 150 times.”