Donald Trump’s directive to resume nuclear testing has raised more questions than answers. Here’s what is known: Trump issued the order on social media, he justified it by accusing China and Russia of secret tests, and China has denied it. What isn’t known: what “testing” actually means.
The confusion over the order is profound. It is unclear if Trump is calling for computational modeling or the first physical U.S. nuclear detonation since 1992.
Trump’s justification, laid out in a CBS interview, is that “Russia’s testing, and China’s testing” “way underground.”
China’s foreign ministry immediately called this false. A spokesperson stated China is “responsible” and “abided by its commitment to suspend nuclear testing.”
This ambiguous order comes at a time of heightened tensions, following a new Russian missile test and Trump’s claims of U.S. nuclear superiority.