President Donald Trump has confirmed that the United States will resume nuclear weapons testing, a significant shift in policy. Responding to questions from reporters on Air Force One, Trump stated, “You’ll find out very soon. But we’re going to do some testing, yeah.” He emphasized that this decision is partly a response to the nuclear activities of other nations. This announcement follows an earlier directive to the Pentagon to initiate such tests, aiming to match the capabilities of China and Russia.
Trump previously asserted on his social media platform that the U.S. possesses the largest nuclear arsenal, a position he attributes to advancements made during his first term. He expressed a personal aversion to nuclear weapons but cited national security imperatives. The U.S. conducted 1,054 nuclear tests between 1945 and 1992, primarily in Nevada, before halting them due to environmental concerns and a decrease in Cold War tensions. The nation has since maintained a moratorium, though the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, signed by President Clinton in 1997, was not ratified by the Senate.