The “N” word in question is “Nuclear.” And the “He” would, of course, be . . .

No, not Vladimir Putin. And not Kim Jong Un or Xi Jinping, or even Benjamin Netanyahu.

The “He” is none other than that self-styled “Peace President,” Donald J. Trump.

While he didn’t definitively threaten to use America’s vast arsenal of nuclear weapons against anyone in particular, he did announce on October 29th that he had instructed the Pentagon to “immediately” resume nuclear weapons testing, after a hiatus of some 33 years.

(The moratorium of nuclear detonations was instituted by then President George H.W. Bush, and the U.S. signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996. Since 1998, only North Korea has detonated any nuclear weapons.)

To make matters even more . . . well . . . explosive, Trump told the world about his decision just prior to a scheduled face-to-face meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping in South Korea.

On his Truth Social platform, he warned that China’s nuclear weapons building was on track to place their nuclear arsenal on an equal footing with the United States and Russia “within 5 years,” and added:

“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.” [David Winkie and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, October 30, 2025.]

And since his meeting with Xi — which he called a “great success” and rated as a 12 on a scale of 1-10 — he has claimed to have come to an agreement with Beijing on trade, tariff and rare-earth mineral issues, though the Chinese government has been considerably less enthusiastic.

On his way home from Asia on October 30th, when asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One whether he thought the world was becoming more dangerous with regard to nuclear issues, he said he didn’t think so:

“I think we have it pretty well locked up. But I see them testing. I say, well, they’re going to test, I guess we have to test.” [Id.]

This tactic seems very similar to his attempted manipulation of Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky with regard to the war in Ukraine, when he unexpectedly spoke with Putin the day before his scheduled White House meeting with Zelensky. He promises progress, threatens serious action if the other side fails to deliver, hopes to get what he wants, and prematurely claims victory . . . only to eat his words later, always blaming anyone but himself when his alleged “deal” falls through yet again.

Only this time he’s playing with his finger on the nuclear button. And that is one hell of an escalation from tariffs and sanctions.

*. *. *

So what actually prompted this sudden leap toward Armageddon? Was it indeed a preemptive move designed to give him an edge in his negotiations with China? Or might it conceivably have been a reaction to this headline:

“Putin Says Russia Tests New, Nuclear-Capable Remote Torpedo Dubbed ‘Doomsday Machine.’” [Mike Eckel, RFE/RL, October 29, 2025.]

And here it is: Called Poseidon, or Status-6, it was introduced to the world on October 29th after a reportedly successful testing a day earlier. During a visit with soldiers wounded in Ukraine, Putin announced:

“For the first time, we succeeded in not only launching it with an engine from a carrier submarine, but also to start the nuclear power unit on it. There is nothing like this. This is a huge success.” [Id.]

While there has been no independent confirmation of the test, there has been talk of such a weapon — what Russia described as “an intercontinental nuclear-powered nuclear-armed autonomous torpedo” — being developed as long ago as 2015. Western analysts have said that, if such a torpedo exists and were to be detonated off the U.S. east coast, it would shower radioactivity on major cities and render huge swaths of territory uninhabitable. [Id.]

And not to be overlooked is the continued testing of Russia’s Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile (dubbed “Skyfall” by NATO) on the Arctic island of Novaya Zemlya, as reported this past summer. [Mike Eckel, RFE/RL, August 28, 2025.]

And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, we are transported back in time to the years of the U.S.-Soviet arms race . . . only with bigger, “smarter,” and even deadlier weapons.

Does anyone know who asked for this? Because if we can identify them, I suggest we take them up to Novaya Zemlya, strap them to the nearest Burevestnik, and shoot them into space.

Then maybe we could all get a good night’s sleep.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/31/25