Trump, who has lately sharpened his rhetoric about U.S. military capabilities, said the decision to resume testing was about reaching parity with Moscow and Beijing.

"The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country," he said in his social media post, later adding that “Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.”

NBC News has reached out to the White House for clarification on Trump’s post — if he means nuclear capable or nuclear weapons.

Trump later told reporters aboard Air Force One that his order “had to do with others,” adding that “they seem to all be nuclear testing.”

“We don’t do testing. We’ve halted it years, many years ago. But with others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also,” Trump said after his meeting with Xi.

Russia announced a test of a new long-range nuclear-powered underwater weapon Wednesday and recently tested a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile.

Earlier this week — in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s testing the nuclear-powered cruise missile with "unlimited range," which he referred to as “a unique weapon that no other country possess” — Trump said he did not think it was appropriate for Putin to be testing such weapons.

“I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin. For Putin to be saying either, by the way, you ought to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its, soon, fourth year, that’s what you ought to do instead of testing missiles,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday.

Asked about Trump’s announcement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted the moratorium on nuclear testing and told reporters, “Until now, we were not aware that anyone was testing anything.”

“But I want to recall President Putin’s statement, which has been repeated many times: that, of course, if someone abandons the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly,” he said.

Peskov also said the cruise missile test was “in no way a nuclear test.”

“All countries are developing their defense systems, but this is not a nuclear test,” he said.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons lists Russia as having the most confirmed nuclear weapons — 5,449 to the United States’ 5,277. Together, the United States and Russia possess around 90% of all nuclear weapons.

During his first term, Trump sought a nearly tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal, NBC News reported at the time. Earlier this year, he called denuclearization “a big aim,” telling reporters over the summer that "Russia’s willing to do it, and I think China is going to be willing to do it, too.”

“We can’t let nuclear weapons proliferate. We have to stop nuclear weapons,” he added.

Beijing, at the time, rejected Trump's appeal for China to join the United States and Russia in reducing stockpiles, saying it was "neither reasonable nor realistic."

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimated this year that the United States has 3,700 nuclear warheads and Russia 4,309. China has at least 600, an increase of about 100 each year since 2023.

Trump's social media post Wednesday sparked swift condemnation from some Democrats on Capitol Hill, including members of Nevada’s congressional delegation.

“This directly contradicts the commitments I secured from Trump nominees — and the opinion of Administration officials who certify our nuclear stockpile — who’ve told me explosive nuclear testing would not happen & is unnecessary. I’ll fight to stop this,” Sen. Jacky Rosen wrote on X.

Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., said she would be “introducing legislation to put a stop to this.”

The Nevada Legislature passed a resolution in May calling on the federal government to maintain its moratorium on testing nuclear weapons.
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https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/30/russia-on-guard-after-trumps-call-to-resume-nuclear-weapons-testing.html

Earlier on Thursday, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was asked by reporters for his reaction to Trump’s comments on resuming nuclear tests.

“Trump mentioned in his statement that other countries were allegedly testing nuclear weapons. Until now, we were not aware that anyone was testing anything,” Peskov told journalists, in comments translated by NBC News.

“And if the Burevestnik test is somehow being referred to, it is in no way a nuclear test,” he added.
“All countries are developing their defense systems, but this is not a nuclear test,” Peskov said.

He added that the U.S. has the right to make “sovereign decisions” but reiterated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position that “if someone abandons the moratorium, Russia will act accordingly.” He did not provide further details on how Russia would act.

>>1453714
You know, with everything that's going on, I somehow forgot about our nukes.

oh god

>>1453742
Call me paranoid but it seems like there's a 'flood the zone with shit' effort underway to downplay and distract from this important story.

>>1453744
Man, I dunno. Yes, that's a thing, it's obviously a thing and has been for years, but all that stuff they're flooding the zone with IS still really bad and they're still actually doing it.

>nuke testing causes fallout over Las Vegas
That'll own the libs.

>>1453714
There is no man on Earth I trust with a nuke less than Donald Trump.

Putin makes threat with nukes, of course Trump copies and makes threats with nukes. Like father, like son, and being republican, the son Trump gets molested by daddy putin. Republican. Fits too good to not be true.

>>1453815
To be fair it's Hegseth who will be overseeing the tests.

>>1453853
Who's a yes-man for Trump.

>>1453893
All of Trump's top people are. The competent people fled during his first term.

Subpar military with historically inept leadership... this is sure to go well... lmao. I laugh now because necrotic skin lesions aren't so funny when you have them. Ha ha.

Why does America think it is so badass when it has lost 80 out of its 87 wars. Not a good record.

>>1454174
We've had the gloves on for every one of them except the Revolutionary so far.
You don't want to see us mad.

>>1454278
Always with the fee fees. You mad, bro?

Finland also has nuclear weapons. Google "Kalevan Kilpi" or "Väinämöinen" or "Ilmarinen ohjus" (missile).