Trump Orders Immediate Resumption of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing After 33-Year Halt

BUSAN, South Korea – Former President Donald Trump has instructed the Pentagon to immediately begin testing U.S. nuclear weapons, ending a 33-year moratorium, citing similar programs by other nations. The directive was announced via a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, just prior to a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan. Trump referred to the Department of Defense as the "Department of War" in his statement.

"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," Trump stated. He added that he "HATED to do it, but had no choice!" The last full U.S. nuclear weapons test was conducted in 1992, with a voluntary moratorium in place since.

The announcement follows recent reports of Russia's testing of nuclear-powered cruise missiles, such as the Burevestnik, and the Poseidon super torpedo. While Russia maintained these were not nuclear explosive tests, the developments appear to have influenced Trump's decision. China's expanding nuclear arsenal, projected to exceed 1,000 weapons by 2030, also factored into the rationale.

The international community reacted swiftly, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating, "if someone departs from the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly." China's Foreign Ministry urged the U.S. to honor its commitments under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). UN officials and arms control experts expressed alarm, warning of a potential new nuclear arms race and destabilization of global non-proliferation efforts.

Experts note that resuming explosive nuclear testing would be a significant policy shift, potentially taking 24 to 36 months to prepare the Nevada test site. Many argue that modern simulations and subcritical tests already ensure the reliability of the U.S. arsenal. Trump's claim that the U.S. possesses more nuclear weapons than any other country contradicts data from organizations like the Federation of American Scientists, which indicate Russia has a larger stockpile.