Boasting that the U.S. has the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, capable of blowing up the world “150 times,” Donald Trump has ordered a resumption of nuclear testing. He claimed the move was a reluctant but necessary response to secret tests by rivals.
In a social media post, Trump stated the U.S. arsenal was updated during his first term. He then announced he had “instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis” with other nations.
He later identified those nations as Russia and China. “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it,” he said in a television interview, adding that he didn’t “want to be the only country that doesn’t test.”
China’s foreign ministry denied the claims, stating that China is a “responsible” nuclear power with a “self-defence” strategy and has abided by its testing moratorium.
Trump’s order, which follows news of a new Russian missile test, has raised questions about a new arms race. He also claimed to have discussed denuclearization with both President Putin and President Xi, even as he signaled a major U.S. escalation.
