Trump’s Challenging Stance on Nuclear Testing

Donald Trump has dared to breach yet another significant taboo, and it may actually be a positive move.

In a message on Truth Social, the former president announced that the U.S. would “immediately” initiate “nuclear weapons” testing on a “same basis” as Russia and China. What exactly he means here is a bit unclear. Is he talking about the delivery systems? Or is he referring to the weapons themselves?

If he’s suggesting the latter, most reports seem to assume that, well, it could mark a significant step forward for U.S. nuclear deterrence and a triumph of pragmatism over fear.

Back during the Cold War, the U.S. conducted over 1,000 nuclear tests but put a halt to this practice in 1992. Since then, there’s been a moral stance against testing without substantial justification.

We definitely don’t plan to resume atmospheric tests, but, starting in the 1960s, underground explosive tests were carried out, mainly at the Nevada Test Site.

If these tests can be securely and responsibly managed, it’s hard to argue against conducting them when necessary.

There’s nothing inherently immoral about testing, and it doesn’t mean we’ll actually use nuclear weapons. If it did, we probably wouldn’t have conducted hundreds of tests in the past and only dropped two atomic bombs at the dawn of the nuclear era.

We’ve got a sophisticated framework in place to maintain and check our nuclear arsenal through stockpile management. We run countless simulations to ensure everything functions correctly.

Still, you can’t fully replace the need for explosive tests, especially given the changes in our weapons over the past thirty years. We need absolute confidence in the safety, security, and reliability of our nuclear arms, which are vital to our national security.

The argument that testing might escalate international tensions feels somewhat flawed. What would Russia actually do if we went forward with a nuclear test? Would they, for instance, invade Ukraine?

Indeed, countries like India, Pakistan, and North Korea haven’t been deterred from their ambitious nuclear programs.

The idea of saying, “Please, don’t develop your own nuclear weapons; we’re not testing” doesn’t really persuade adversaries.

Moreover, reports suggest that China and Russia might already be engaging in their own nuclear tests. There have been claims from U.S. State and Defense Departments indicating that Russia may have flouted a key non-testing standard with supercritical nuclear tests.

(This behavior isn’t exactly shocking; Russia has a history of ignoring its agreements.)

In addition, both China and Russia are advancing their warheads and delivery systems. They’re upgrading their arsenals while we’re—I mean, at least we aren’t currently testing them. The consistent theme seems to be projecting power and developing capabilities that could threaten us.

These nations will act in their self-interest regardless of whether we believe our moral stance against testing will sway them.

Even if Trump and his team are fully on board with this idea, it’s clear it will take time to reinstate and actualize explosive testing capabilities.

The president may get the new White House ballroom ready before any tests occur, and Nevada likely doesn’t want to host yet another underground explosion.

But it’s clear that Trump acknowledges an important truth: The U.S. possesses nuclear weapons that are crucial not only for our defense but also for the protection of many allies.

Neglecting responsible testing, in a manner that is grounded in the realities of today rather than the shadows of the Cold War past, isn’t in our interest—nor does it make the world any safer.