Trump Directs Pentagon: Nuclear Tests, No Questions Asked
The Hill dutifully reports that Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing, a move not seen since 1992. This isn’t about national security as much as it is about a specific brand of strongman politics that trades long-term stability for short-term bluster. The underlying message, of course, is that 'America first' apparently means 'America might nuke itself first just
to prove a point.' One might wonder if this makes the world safer, or if it simply reignites a nuclear arms race that responsible nations have spent decades trying to de-escalate. We saw this same hawkish posturing, this aggressive unilateralism, from John Bolton, who, as National Security Advisor, pushed for a more confrontational stance with countries like Iran and North Korea, often bypassing
diplomatic solutions for military threats. The drive to resume testing isn't a measured strategic shift; it's a throwback, an expensive and dangerous reenactment of a bygone era, complete with all the attendant risks. How much does a 'tremendous display of power' cost the average taxpayer, exactly?