During an interview aired on Sunday, November 2, Donald Trump surprised 60 Minutes host Norah O’Donnell by alleging that China and Russia are secretly testing nuclear weapons.
The conversation took place at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where the Republican president discussed various topics, including immigration, US-China relations, and the government shutdown. During the interview, Trump mentioned his intention for the United States to resume nuclear testing, an idea he had previously suggested on Truth Social.
In response to Trump’s claim, Norah O’Donnell pointed out that North Korea is currently the only nation testing nuclear weapons. Trump countered by asserting, “Russia’s testing and China’s testing, but they don’t talk about it.”
O’Donnell, clearly taken aback, remarked, “That would certainly be very newsworthy.”
She further noted that her understanding was that Russia had only tested the delivery systems for nuclear weapons, not the actual warheads.
Trump reiterated his claims, saying, “They don’t have reporters that are going to be writing about it, we do. We are going to test, they test. As powerful as they are, this is a big world. You don’t necessarily know where they’re testing.”
He added, “They test way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening with the test. You feel a little bit of a vibration.”
While Trump emphasized that he never intends to use nuclear warheads, he maintained that the US needs to conduct tests.
Trump has previously spoken on nuclear weapons, suggesting in the summer that US nuclear submarines had been repositioned following a contentious exchange with Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
Medvedev responded at the time, considering Trump’s remarks as a ‘threat and a step towards war’.
In related developments, an American spy plane was recently spotted over Moscow, amid warnings from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov that the US would face consequences if caught conducting nuclear tests.
Last week, Trump directed the Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense, to begin nuclear testing for the first time in over three decades.
On Truth Social, Trump expressed his reluctance but felt compelled to issue the order due to other nations’ testing programs.
He wrote, “The United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country,” adding that this was achieved through the modernization of existing arsenals during his first term in office.
He continued, “Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within five years.”
Finally, Trump disclosed that he had instructed the department to commence testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis,” stating the initiative will start “immediately.”