Trump's Nuclear Paradox: Between Disarmament Dreams and Testing Threats

US President Donald Trump has exhibited a consistent fascination with nuclear weapons throughout his political career.

During his first presidential term, reports emerged that Trump had proposed using nuclear weapons against hurricanes—a claim he later dismissed as fabricated. Now in his second administration, he has generated fresh concerns by directing the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing.

These recent directives, issued moments before a significant meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, continue Trump's pattern of sending mixed messages regarding atomic arsenals.

One moment, the president discusses potential agreements with Russia and China to abandon their nuclear stockpiles. The next, he appears to suggest overturning the three-decade moratorium on nuclear testing, though his precise intentions remain unclear.

The subject of nuclear weapons clearly captivates Trump. Nearly every speech includes references to their destructive capabilities, with a reverence characteristic of someone who grew up during the Cold War era.

"Nuclear weapons have been on his mind since the 1980s. He genuinely wants to address this issue," explained Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, in comments to AFP. "My concern is that his current presidential approach lacks coherence and consistency, and his team isn't structured or managed to effectively implement his better intentions."

Trump's engagement with nuclear politics has been a consistent theme across both his administrations.

His first term featured multiple summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un—following an initial period where Trump labeled him "Rocket Man" and threatened Pyongyang with "fire and fury like the world has never seen."

Despite three meetings with Kim yielding no substantive agreement with the only nation known to have conducted nuclear tests in this century, Trump continues expressing optimism about potential breakthroughs. He recently mentioned he would have welcomed another meeting with Kim during his Asia visit and praised their "great relationship."

Nuclear proliferation wasn't Trump's only nuclear-related concern during his first presidency.

In 2019, reports claimed Trump had inquired whether nuclear weapons could be deployed against hurricanes to prevent them from reaching American shores—allegations Trump categorically denied as "fake news."

Upon returning to the White House in January, Trump promptly revived his nuclear focus.

He has repeatedly proposed negotiations with Russia and China for "de-nuking," and in February suggested an unprecedented trilateral summit including Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on this topic.

"There's no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weapons," Trump told journalists. "We already have so many you could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over."

Yet Trump has also demonstrated a willingness to engage in nuclear brinkmanship.

Discussing his recent deployment of two US submarines following alleged nuclear threats from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, Trump made controversial remarks referencing what he called "the n-word."

"I call it the n-word. There are two n-words and you can't use either of them," Trump stated during an address to senior US military officers in September.

Trump's directive instructing the Pentagon to "start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis" with Russia and China has sparked particular confusion and alarm among experts and officials.

Kimball suggests Trump might be employing his "madman" strategy—using bold threats to pressure adversaries into negotiations, a tactic he has frequently utilized in trade and other discussions.

However, Kimball added that "for the president to make such provocative, ambiguous statements is irresponsible and dangerous and frankly incompetent."

Drawing a parallel to the recent film "A House of Dynamite," a nuclear thriller depicting a president facing decisions about responding to a missile strike while evacuating Washington via helicopter, Kimball pointedly noted that Trump "is the same guy who would be sitting on Marine One."