President Donald Trump reaffirmed on Friday that the U.S. would resume nuclear testing, refusing to clarify whether this would include traditional underground tests reminiscent of Cold War-era practices. “You’ll find out very soon, but we’re going to do some testing,” Trump stated to reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to Palm Beach, Florida, when questioned about underground nuclear tests. “Other countries do it. If they’re doing it, we’re going to do it, OK?”
Trump had previously ordered the U.S. military to immediately restart nuclear weapon testing procedures following a 33-year pause, a move interpreted as a direct challenge to rival nuclear powers China and Russia. The surprise announcement was made on Truth Social while Trump was aboard his Marine One helicopter en route to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for trade negotiations in Busan, South Korea.
The statement left unclear whether the testing pertained to nuclear-explosive tests managed by the National Nuclear Security Administration or flight tests of nuclear-capable missiles. No major nuclear power—except North Korea in 2017—has conducted explosive nuclear testing in over 25 years.
