Overview
- The directive was issued minutes before President Trump’s meeting with Xi Jinping in Busan and explicitly cited Russia and China as the rationale.
- Neither the White House nor the Pentagon has provided details on the form, locations or timetable of the tests, and officials have not signaled any imminent detonations.
- Even if ordered, explosive detonations would conflict with U.S. commitments under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and would likely take years to stage, according to NNSA and independent experts.
- Trump’s claim that the United States has the largest nuclear arsenal is contradicted by SIPRI estimates that list Russia with slightly more warheads.
- Global reaction includes UN warnings and condemnation from Japanese atomic-bomb survivor groups, while China urged treaty compliance and the Kremlin noted its recent trials involved delivery systems rather than nuclear blasts.