Trump Directs Pentagon to Start Testing Nuclear Weapons Again

The president said the United States would begin testing nuclear weapons ‘on an equal basis’ with tests conducted by adversaries.

President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit at the Gyeongju Arts Center in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Oct. 29, 2025. Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Oct. 29 ordered the Pentagon to begin conducting nuclear weapons tests again after a three-decade moratorium on the practice.

“Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “That process will begin immediately.”