Trump Announces Resumption of U.S. Nuclear Testing Amid Global Tensions

Friday, 31 October 2025 12:49 PM EDT

President Donald Trump reaffirmed on Friday that the U.S. would resume nuclear testing, refusing to clarify whether the move would involve traditional underground tests reminiscent of Cold War-era practices.

“You’ll find out very soon, but we’re going to do some testing,” Trump told 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 to do it, we’re going to do it, OK?”

Trump had previously ordered the U.S. military to restart nuclear weapon testing procedures after a 33-year hiatus, a decision seen as a direct message to rival nuclear powers China and Russia. The announcement came 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.

It remains unclear whether the president referred to explosive nuclear testing, managed by the National Nuclear Security Administration, or flight tests of nuclear-capable missiles. No nation aside from North Korea in 2017 has conducted explosive nuclear tests in over 25 years.