Former U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his call for global denuclearization on Wednesday, warning of the catastrophic dangers posed by the world’s growing nuclear stockpiles.
Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative Institute’s Priority Summit in Miami, Florida, Trump addressed an audience of senior cabinet officials, diplomats, and business leaders, highlighting the urgent need to curb the spread of nuclear weapons.
“Without strength, it’s going to be very hard to have peace,” Trump stated, emphasizing the importance of a strong military while warning against the unchecked development of nuclear arms.
The former president reflected on past negotiations with global leaders, noting that discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on denuclearization were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Russia and us have the biggest nuclear [stockpiles] by far,” Trump said, adding that China, which currently holds around 500 warheads, could soon catch up.
“I spoke to President Xi very successfully about it. We were going to denuclearize and get the smaller powers, maybe three or four, to join us,” Trump recalled.
Highlighting the destructive potential of modern nuclear weapons, Trump warned, “You look at Hiroshima, Nagasaki—multiply that by 500 times, the world will be destroyed. We can’t let that happen.”
He also criticized the spread of nuclear arms to other nations, including Iran, calling for stricter global controls.
Shifting focus, Trump slammed previous U.S. government spending, particularly investments in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) projects in Africa. “I’d like to know the consultant who got $520 million for ESG investments in Africa,” he quipped.
He announced the termination of several federal programs, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which he labeled as wasteful.
“All of these scams have now been terminated,” Trump declared. “What we haven’t looked at yet is: did the money come back to them? We’ll figure that out pretty easily and quickly.”
When asked to describe the U.S. in three words, Trump responded, “Love, respect, and strength,” adding with a chuckle, “That may have been the toughest question, actually.”
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