Donald Trump Orders Department of War to Resume Testing Nuclear Weapons

The president of the United States announced that he's ordered the Department of War to resume testing nuclear weapons. Donald Trump made the announcement with a post on Truth Social on Oct. 29, 2025. The president made the announcement just before his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.

According to NBC News, the last president to order nuclear testing was President George H.W. Bush back in 1992. Bush announced the country would be doing underground nuclear testing at a federal site in Nevada. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has been honored by all countries possessing nuclear weapons since the Cold War, per the Associated Press.

The president said he'd ordered the nuclear testing to be on an "equal basis" with China and Russia, claiming that he had "no choice."

"The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country," he wrote on Truth Social. "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! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years," he continued. "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. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."

According to NPR, the president spoke further to reporters on the matter while aboard Air Force One.

Trump claimed that other countries "seem to all be nuclear testing." He added that the U.S. has "more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don't do testing. I see them testing and I say, 'well, if they're going to test, I guess we have to test.'"

When pressed about where the nuclear tests would occur, he said, "It'll be announced. We have test sites."

Russia reacted to Trump's order, and they were not pleased. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, said they weren't aware any countries were testing nuclear weapons.

"Trump mentioned in his statement that other countries were allegedly testing nuclear weapons. Until now, we were not aware that anyone was testing anything," he said, adding that “if someone abandons the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly.

The executive director of the Arms Control Association, Daryl Kimball, spoke out against Trump's announcement, calling him "misinformed and out of touch."

"By foolishly announcing his intention to resume nuclear testing, Trump will trigger strong public opposition in Nevada, from all U.S. allies, and it could trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by U.S. adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty," he wrote on X.

"Nearly all the world’s nations have joined the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which as a signatory the United States is legally obligated to respect," he continued. "No country except North Korea has conducted a nuclear test explosion in this century."