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Trump Orders Immediate US Nuclear Weapons Tests After Russia’s “Doomsday” Weapon Tests
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to immediately resume nuclear weapons testing in response to Russia’s recent trials of new strategic systems, he wrote on Truth Social on October 29.
Trump said the United States “possesses more nuclear weapons than any other country,” crediting that lead to a comprehensive modernization of the US arsenal during his first presidential term.
“Because of their enormous destructive power, I hated doing it—but I had no choice!” Trump wrote.
WATCH: Footage of the last US nuclear test on September 23, 1992 as part of Operation Julin
— Rapid Report (@RapidReport2025) October 30, 2025
President Trump has ordered nuclear testing to resume ‘on equal basis’ pic.twitter.com/Rpxv7QQ3MA
He noted that Russia holds the world’s second-largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, followed by China. “In five years, [China] could reach parity with the United States,” he said.
“In light of testing programs conducted by other nations, I have instructed the Department of War to begin nuclear weapons tests on equal terms,” Trump added, saying the process should start “immediately.”
The announcement follows recent statements from Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who claimed successful tests of the 9M730 Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon nuclear torpedo—weapons he described as having “no analogues in the world.”
The last US nuclear test took place in 1992. Since then, the country has relied on subcritical and computer-simulated testing to verify the reliability of its nuclear stockpile.
Trump’s statement came shortly before his scheduled meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. Asked by reporters why he made the order now, Trump declined to elaborate.
He instead criticized Putin’s remarks about Russia’s missile tests, calling them “inappropriate” and suggesting the Kremlin leader “should focus on ending the war in Ukraine, not testing new weapons.”
The Russian leader, meanwhile, said Poseidon’s power “significantly exceeds” that of the Sarmat intercontinental missile and claimed it cannot be intercepted—a claim that Western defense analysts have not independently verified.
Previously, an American or British submarine conducted an unannounced Trident-II D5 missile test over the South Atlantic, seen by residents in Puerto Rico who reported the missile’s bright trail in the night sky. The Trident-II D5—a nuclear-armed ballistic missile—is deployed exclusively by the US and UK navies.
Earlier, France officially declared its new M51.3 submarine-launched ballistic missile operational, marking the latest upgrade to the country’s strategic nuclear arsenal.
