Trump says the US to conduct nuclear tests 'pretty soon'

During a press briefing, Trump was asked whether he had held any meetings regarding concerns about nuclear testing. He responded:

"We're going to have nuclear testing because other people test. We have other countries that test. We have more nuclear weapons than any other country. I'm the one that renovated them and built some, and I hated to do it, but I had no choice because they have it. We have more," Trump said.

He reiterated that the United States is the global leader in nuclear weapons, followed by Russia, with China in a distant third place, though he stressed that Beijing could catch up in four to five years. Trump said he would prefer denuclearization.

"What I would like to do is I would like to go for denuclearization. In other words, where we have a meeting primarily of the top three to cut back on nuclear weapons. That would be a great thing," he added.

When asked how soon the tests might take place, the US president replied: "Pretty soon."

"We're number one. Russia's number two. China's number three. They're catching up. They're quite a bit distant from us right now, but they'll catch us in four or five minutes. I think the best option would be to denuclearize," Trump concluded.

Several media outlets also noted that when asked whether the planned tests would involve detonating a nuclear warhead, Trump did not give a clear answer.

CNN reported that officials from the US Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and representatives of national laboratories plan to urge Trump to abandon nuclear testing. Sources said they intend to meet with White House staff in the coming days and argue that detonating warheads is unnecessary and could increase geopolitical tensions.