President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time since 1992, issuing the order just moments before sitting down with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
The commander-in-chief instructed the Department of War to begin testing nuclear weapons “immediately,” citing the need to maintain America’s strategic advantage as rival powers advance their own arsenals.
Trump emphasized America’s nuclear supremacy in his announcement.
“The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country,” he stated.
He credited his first term with achieving this position.
“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!” the president wrote.
The president outlined his concerns about the global nuclear landscape.
“Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years,” he warned.
Trump explained his rationale for resuming tests.
“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” he declared.
“That process will begin immediately.”
The US military conducts regular tests of missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads, but has not detonated actual nuclear weapons since 1992 due to a test ban.
Following his announcement, Trump met with Xi in Busan, South Korea, marking their first encounter in six years.
Xi acknowledged existing “frictions” between the nations as Trump described his counterpart as a “tough negotiator.”
The meeting occurred amid ongoing trade tensions that Trump reignited after returning to office this year. However, the president revealed he reduced China’s tariff burden by 10 percent based on Xi’s commitment to address fentanyl trafficking.
“On fentanyl we agreed that he was going to work very hard to stop the flow,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“I think you’re going to see some real action taken.”
Trump said the tariff reduction takes effect “effective immediately.”
“I believe he’s going to work very hard to stop the death that’s coming in,” he added.
Xi entered the negotiations with significant leverage, as China produces 80 to 90 percent of the world’s rare earth minerals, which are critical for the US tech industry.
“We have a deal,” Trump announced, specifically highlighting an agreement to “settle” the rare earth mineral issue.
“There’s no roadblock at all on rare earth,” he claimed.
Last month Resist the Mainstream reported that Trump publicly criticized Xi on Truth Social, linking him to Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while accusing Beijing of conspiring “against the United States of America.”
Despite this rhetoric, the two leaders appeared cordial after their meeting, exchanging words and a handshake before Trump leaned in for a final message to his Chinese counterpart.
Trump’s focus on Beijing intensified after his diplomatic efforts with Moscow stalled and new US oil-trade sanctions increased pressure on Russia.
The president appears to be leveraging the failed Russian dialogue to apply pressure on Xi, who has quietly supported Putin’s war in Ukraine.
The Daily Mail reported that the announcement came days after Putin revealed on Sunday that Russia successfully tested its nuclear-powered cruise missile, which Moscow calls “unstoppable.”
The weapon, nicknamed the “Flying Chernobyl,” allegedly possesses “unlimited range” and can penetrate any defense system.
When asked about the Russian missile test aboard Air Force One, Trump downplayed the threat.
The president noted that America’s nuclear submarines provide sufficient deterrence without requiring long-range missiles.
“They know we have a nuclear submarine, the greatest in the world, right off their shores, so I mean, [our missile] doesn’t have to go 8,000 miles,” Trump told reporters, according to White House audio.
“I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying, either, by the way: You ought to get the war ended, the war that should have taken one week is now in… its fourth year, that’s what you ought to do instead of testing missiles.”
The Kremlin responded defiantly on Monday. “Despite all our openness to establishing a dialogue with the United States, Russia, first of all, and the president of Russia, is guided by our own national interests,”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “That’s how it was, that’s how it is, and that’s how it’s going to be.”
Peskov defended Russia’s weapons development as necessary for national security.
“There is nothing here that can and should strain relations between Moscow and Washington,” he said, per Daily Mail reporting.
