We have enough nuclear weapons to blow up the world 150 times – Trump
фото: Reuters
US President Donald Trump has said that the United States has enough nuclear weapons to “blow up the world 150 times over.” His words have sparked a public debate about nuclear weapons testing and comparisons with other nations’ arsenals.
He said this in an interview with CBS NEWS .
Trump said in his speech that the United States has “more nuclear weapons than any other country.” He called Russia the second largest in terms of arsenal and said China was “a very distant third,” but that he believed “they will be on par with us in five years.”
“We have enough nuclear weapons to blow up the world 150 times. Russia has a lot of nuclear weapons, and China will have a lot of them,” he said.
The President also expressed his opinion on the need to resume nuclear weapons testing.
He said the tests were needed “to see how it works.” He cited the actions of other states as an argument: in his opinion, “Russia has announced that they are going to conduct testing,” and North Korea “is constantly conducting testing.”
Trump added that the United States is currently “the only country that is not testing,” and that he does not want the US to remain the only country that does.
In the interview, Trump also emphasized the importance of the topic of denuclearization and said that he had discussed the issue “with both Putin and Xi.”
How many nuclear weapons does the US have?
According to the Office of National Nuclear Security at the US Department of Energy, as of September 30, 2023, the US stockpile of nuclear warheads was three thousand seven hundred forty-eight warheads .
Independent expert assessments and analytical reviews converge on similar figures in the first half of 2025. According to the publication “United States nuclear weapons, 2025” (expert review), at the beginning of 2025 the US stockpile will have approximately three thousand seven hundred warheads for delivery by ballistic missiles and aircraft.
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) and other analysts provide detailed estimates of deployed and retained warheads. As of early 2025, estimates indicate about 1,770 deployed strategic warheads in a ready-for-immediate state.
SIPRI, in its 2025 Annual Report , emphasizes that the United States, together with Russia, possess almost ninety percent of the world’s nuclear arsenal, and provides estimates of potentially operationally available and deployed warheads in the world.
In particular, the United States has the following types of warheads and carriers:
- Strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are the main ground-based carriers of nuclear warheads.
- Ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) are seaborne carriers that carry a portion of deployed strategic warheads.
- Bombers and heavy aircraft are the air component that can carry cruise missiles or bombs with nuclear warheads.
By the way, in late October, US President Donald Trump announced his decision to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in 33 years.
As a reminder, Russian troops launched intercontinental ballistic and air-launched cruise missiles as part of strategic nuclear force training.
As reported, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced the tests of the nuclear submarine “Poseidon”, which took place the day before, on October 28.
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