A retired professor at the U.S. Naval War College on Wednesday night immediately smacked down President Donald Trump's stunning explanation for why he has ordered the Defense Department to restart nuclear bomb testing after a nearly three-decade hiatus.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to claim the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country, warning that its adversaries are catching up.
He also claimed that other countries are testing their weapons, and insisted the U.S. must do so as well.
"The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country," said Trump. "This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office. Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years. Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
But expert Tom Nichols flattened multiple claims from Trump late Wednesday.
"Nothing in here is correct. Russia's stockpile is larger than ours, by a small margin. Trump did not create a larger stockpile by 'updating' in his first term. No nation except North Korea has tested nuclear weapons since the 1990s," he wrote on X.
Beth Sanner, former deputy director of national intelligence, called it a "bad idea" on CNN, telling anchor Kaitlan Collins that the move will allow adversaries to catch up faster because they'll be allowed to test more.
"Adversaries benefit more than we do," she told viewers on "The Source."
