Trump Directs Immediate Nuclear Testing, Sparking Global Concerns

In a surprising move that has echoed across international borders, President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. Defense Department to “immediately begin” nuclear weapons testing. This announcement, made during Trump’s overseas trip just before a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, has left many scrambling for more details.

The Pentagon has been tight-lipped about the specifics, redirecting inquiries to Trump’s post on Truth Social without offering additional insight. This has led to heightened concern as the international community weighs the implications of the U.S. potentially resuming nuclear tests.

Historically, the U.S. has undertaken over 1,000 nuclear tests, primarily at the Nevada Test Site, including hundreds of above-ground detonations. However, a moratorium was established by Congress in 1992 to halt these activities.

According to Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, “We can’t fully rule it out, that would be extremely provocative.” He added that resuming such tests would mark the first instance since North Korea conducted a nuclear explosion in this century.

The 1963 Test Ban Treaty, signed by the U.S. alongside the Soviet Union and Great Britain, prohibits nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater, but allows underground detonations. Despite this, Kimball questions the necessity of resuming tests, stating that “there’s no technical or military need to resume testing.” He warns that Trump’s directive could spark a new arms race, particularly with nations such as Russia and China.

“I don’t think people need to fear mushroom clouds on the desert floor outside of Las Vegas,” noted Kimball. “But the very notion of resuming nuclear testing, in my view, is a disrespectful slap in the face to those who in the past have suffered from radiation poisoning from nuclear testing fallouts in the Mountain West.”

One such individual is Leslie Begay, a former Navajo uranium miner and Vietnam veteran who has endured significant health challenges, including a double lung transplant and reliance on an oxygen tank since 2015. Reflecting on his experience, Begay commented, “That was the hardest thing I ever encountered. These are some of the things that people are going to go through within a few more years. They gonna be facing the thing, there’s no cure for it.”

Amidst these concerns, financial compensation for radiation exposure victims, such as uranium miners and downwinders, has been revived by Congress as part of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”