Trump Says He Instructed the Pentagon to Resume Nuclear Weapons Testing

On October 30, 2025, shortly before meeting Xi Jinping in South Korea, President Trump said the United States would resume nuclear weapons testing, telling reporters aboard Air Force One: "We've halted [testing] many years ago, but with others doing testing I think it's appropriate to do so." He said he had directed the Defense Department to begin. The United States has not conducted an explosive nuclear test since 1992. Two days later Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the tests would not involve nuclear explosions, describing them as "system tests" and "non-critical explosions." NNSA administrator Brandon Williams had previously told Congress he would not recommend a return to explosive testing, citing confidence in existing stockpile-assessment science. Robert Floyd of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization called any nuclear test "harmful and destabilizing," and Rep. Dina Titus said she would introduce legislation to block the move.

The announcement came without an accompanying policy document, and the responsible agencies described the plan differently from the president within 48 hours. Explosive testing also sits with the Energy Department's NNSA, not the Pentagon.

No explosive test was announced as scheduled, and the administration did not publish an implementing directive in October 2025.