by Francis Tuschek, Staff Writer
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that during his presidency, Washington was close to reaching a nuclear weapons agreement with Russia and China. He made this assertion in a two-hour interview with comedian Andrew Schulz, which was shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
Trump remarked, “We were close to a deal to eliminate nuclear weapons, which would have been fantastic. I’m referring to Russia, ourselves, and China. We would then involve other nations.”
He emphasized that nuclear weapons pose “the biggest threat we have in the world today,” dismissing concerns over global warming as minimal, claiming, “the oceans are rising 1/8 of an inch in the next 500 years.”
Neither Russia nor China has responded to Trump’s statement about a potential denuclearization agreement during his time in office.
Trump’s comments emerged during a conversation about Iran’s suspected nuclear program, where he criticized President Joe Biden for his hesitance to confront Tehran. Biden has publicly encouraged Israel to avoid attacking Iranian nuclear and oil facilities.
In 2015, the five nuclear-armed members of the UN Security Council reached a deal with Tehran to limit Iran’s uranium enrichment, preventing the development of nuclear weapons. Trump withdrew the US from this agreement in 2018. Although Biden promised to restore it, his administration has struggled to make progress on this front over the past four years.
Additionally, in 2019, Trump exited the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, citing breaches by Russia, leaving the New START treaty as the last arms control agreement between the US and Russia. Trump had initially attempted to include China in this treaty, but Beijing declined, leading to concerns about New START’s future as Trump’s second term approached.
The Biden administration extended the New START treaty in February 2021, but it is now expected to expire in 2026. In February 2023, Russia halted its participation in New START, citing US sanctions and support for Ukraine’s military actions against Russian strategic targets.
Trump, who lost the 2020 election to Biden and has contested its legitimacy, secured the 2024 Republican nomination and will compete against Vice-President Kamala Harris—who the Democrats nominated after Biden withdrew in July—in the election on November 5.