WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump instructed the Department of War on Wednesday to begin testing nuclear weapons on an “equal basis” with other world powers, including China and Russia.
Trump aims to match up with other world nuclear powers. The last time the U.S. carried out a nuclear test was in 1992, according to Reuters.
“Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years,” Trump noted.
The announcement comes ahead of a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
As Trump toured Asia, North Korea also fired missiles ahead of a summit between the U.S. and South Korea.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One following the summit as Trump travelled from Japan to South Korea, he downplayed the missile launches.
“He’s been launching missiles for decades, right?” he said, seemingly referring to Kim Jong Un.
