CIA director, Senate intel chairman say Trump ‘is right’ about secret Russian and Chinese nuclear tests
The US has not conducted a nuclear test since 1992. US AIR FORCE/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump’s warnings that Russia and China have been secretly testing nuclear weapons have been confirmed by both CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton.
“@realDonaldTrump is right,” Ratcliffe wrote Monday on X, sharing intelligence assessments dating back to the president’s first term. Those reports indicate that both Moscow and Beijing have violated a moratorium on explosive nuclear testing.
Sen. Cotton (R-Ark.) added further detail in a follow-up post, saying he had been briefed directly by Ratcliffe and his team.
“After consultations with Director Ratcliffe and his team, they have confirmed to me that the CIA assesses that both Russia and China have conducted super-critical nuclear weapons tests in excess of the U.S. zero-yield standard,” Cotton wrote. “These tests are not historic—they’re ongoing and part of their nuclear modernization programs.”
In response, President Trump announced last week that he had directed the Pentagon to “immediately” resume U.S. nuclear weapons testing for the first time in more than 30 years, citing the need to counter the expanding arsenals and testing programs of America’s adversaries.
“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 on Truth Social last Wednesday. “That process will begin immediately.”
The president expanded on his decision during an interview with 60 Minutes that aired Sunday.
“The testing is because Russia announced that they were doing a test. If you notice, North Korea is testing constantly. Other countries are testing. We’re the only country that doesn’t test, and I don’t want to be the only country that doesn’t test,” Trump said.
When pressed by CBS correspondent Norah O’Donnell, he replied, “Russia is testing nuclear weapons, and China is testing them too—you just don’t know about it.”
The United States has observed a voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing since 1992, when its last underground detonation took place at the Nevada Test Site.
President Trump has not yet specified whether future U.S. tests will occur above or below ground, or when they are expected to begin.
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