Washington (Parliament Politics Magazine) – US President Donald Trump claimed Pakistan is testing nuclear weapons, insisting the US must also resume tests to keep pace with other nations.
As reported by Dawn, Donald Trump said Pakistan is among the nations reportedly nuclear weapons, warning the US must resume testing to keep pace.
What did Donald Trump say about Pakistan, North Korea, and US nuclear testing?
During an interview, when asked about his recent Pentagon order to resume nuclear tests, Donald Trump said,
“North Korea has been testing. Pakistan has been testing. […] But they don’t go and tell you about it.”
In a social media post, he directed the US Department of War to resume nuclear testing, raising questions about the first nuclear explosion since 1992.
When the topic was raised, Mr Trump stated,
“Well, we have more nuclear weapons than any other country. I think we should do something about denuclearisation. And I did actually discuss that with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Xi.”
He said,
“We have enough nuclear weapons to blow up the world a 150 times. Russia has a lot of nuclear weapons, and China will have a lot.”
When asked why the US needs to conduct nuclear tests, the president replied,
“Well, because you have to see how they work. Testing is because Russia announced that they are gonna do a test. If you notice, North Korea is testing constantly, other countries are testing. We are the only country that doesn’t test, I don’t want to be the only country that doesn’t test.”
Pressed on whether America plans to resume detonations after 30 years, Mr Trump responded,
“I am saying that we are going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do.”
The interviewer said North Korea is the only country actively testing nukes, while Russia and China last conducted tests in 1990 and 1996.
The president replied Russia and China are also testing nukes, “you just don’t know about it.”
Mr Trump dismissed claims about Russia’s recent missile test, saying, “Russia is testing, and China is testing, but they don’t talk about it.”
He added,
“We are an open society. We are different, we talk about it. We have to talk about it. Because, otherwise, you people are going to report. They don’t have reporters who can be writing about it. We do.”
The president continued,
“We are gonna test because they test and others test. And certainly North Korea has been testing. Pakistan has been testing. […] But they don’t go and tell you about it. And as powerful as they are — you know it’s a big world, you don’t necessarily know where they are testing. They test way underground where people don’t know exactly what’s happening with the test. You feel a little bit of a vibration.”
He said,
“They test, and we don’t test. We have to test. And Russia did make a, you know, little bit of a threat the other day when they said they were gonna do certain forms of a different level of testing. But Russia tests, China does test, and we are gonna test also.”
Mr Trump stated,
“This just doesn’t make sense. You know, you make nuclear weapons and then you don’t test. How are you gonna do that? How are you gonna know if they work? We have to do that.”
During an interview, the host said experts believe American nuclear weapons are the best and need no testing.
President Trump replied,
“According to me, we have the best. And I was the one that renovated them and built them during a four-year period, and I hated to do that. Because the destructive capability is something you don’t even want to talk about. But if other people are gonna have them, we are gonna have to have them.”
He added,
“And if we have them, we have to test them. Otherwise, you don’t really know how they are gonna work. And we don’t want to ever use them.”
How did Donald Trump respond to sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine?
Donald Trump rules out sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for strikes in Russia.
When asked about a potential missile deal, Mr Trump said, “No, not really,” but added he could reconsider in the future.
The president has suggested he might provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, saying President Zelensky would support the move. The missiles have a range of 2,500 km, capable of striking deep inside Russia, including Moscow.
During a White House meeting in October, President Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed the Tomahawk missile proposal, with Mr Rutte saying the final decision rests with the US.
When did Pakistan test its nuclear missile?
Pakistan conducted its first nuclear missile test on May 28, 1998, known as the Chagai-I test, which involved five simultaneous underground nuclear detonations in the Chagai district of Balochistan.
The tests included both boosted fission and sub-kiloton devices, with the final test conducted on May 30, 1998, involving a plutonium-based device.
What are the Tomahawk missiles?
Tomahawk missiles are long-range, subsonic cruise missiles launched from ships or submarines, designed to accurately strike high-value land targets while flying low to avoid detection.
They can travel nearly 1,500 to 2,400 kilometers and use advanced guidance systems like GPS and terrain mapping to hit targets precisely, making them a key strategic weapon for navies such as the US and UK.