In a stunning prelude to his summit with Xi Jinping, President Trump orders full-scale U.S. nuclear weapons testing, declaring America will match Russia and China “on an equal basis.”
In a dramatic geopolitical escalation, U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday (October 30, 2025) that he has ordered the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing to “match” the growing military advances of Russia and China — a move that jolted global powers just minutes before his high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
The surprise directive followed Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s declaration a day earlier that Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone — a weapon Western analysts say could evade traditional defenses and carry catastrophic potential.
Citing both Russian and Chinese nuclear developments, Trump posted on Truth Social:
“Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”
He went on to boast that the United States still possesses the largest nuclear arsenal on Earth, crediting his leadership for what he called a “complete update and renovation of existing weapons.”
“Russia is second, and China is a distant third,” Trump wrote, “but will be even within five years.”
While Trump provided no operational details, he confirmed the testing process “will begin immediately.” Pentagon sources have since confirmed that initial site preparations could take place in Nevada and Alaska, potentially marking the first U.S. nuclear tests since 1992.
The announcement landed like a thunderclap across diplomatic circles. Analysts said Trump’s timing — issuing the order just before meeting Xi Jinping — was a strategic show of power, aimed at reminding Beijing of Washington’s nuclear dominance amid rising tensions in the Pacific.
This summit, the first between Trump and Xi in his second term, comes at a volatile moment for global stability, with the U.S., China, and Russia locked in an escalating arms race across nuclear, cyber, and space domains.
For Israel and its allies, Trump’s declaration reinforces his longstanding stance on nuclear deterrence and strength as a guarantor of peace, echoing his earlier doctrine that “peace comes through absolute power.”
International reaction has been swift: European capitals have urged restraint, while Asian markets reacted nervously to the announcement. Russian media, meanwhile, hailed Trump’s move as a belated acknowledgment that “Moscow set the pace.”
As one senior U.S. defense official told reporters off-record:
“This is Trump’s Cold War 2.0 — but with a hot mic and a bigger arsenal.”
