Dan Mitchinson: US Correspondent on Trump's nuclear testing threats

Concerns over potential US nuclear tests have arisen after Donald Trump posted on X saying 'I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis'.

The announcement left questions about whether the US President meant testing weapons systems or actually conducting test explosions, which the United States has not done since 1992.

Vice-President JD Vance failed to provide any clarification, telling reporters the President’s statement “speaks for itself". 

US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Andrew Dickens he wasn't convinced the threats will be followed through- "as we know, the president tends to speak first sometimes and think after he has spoken".

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Dan Mitchison, Welcome to the program.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Hello Andrew.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
So it's the big story around the worlds. What's the
reaction in the States to King Child stripping Andrew of
his prince.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Well, I think it's it's for royalists over here. I
think it's a little bit of a surprise. Others may
say not so much. The family has has been reacting,
of course, for the family, I'm talking about Virginia Jiuffrey
who accused the prince of sexually abusing her, and they
released a statement they're calling this a victory and they said,

(00:34):
you know, this is an ordinary American girl from an
ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her
truth and an extraordinary courage. But I think they're going
to continue to go after as you just mentioned in
the World Wires, now that the fact that he's still
going to have accommodation and he's still going to get
a salary that you know, I think they still want
more accountability held.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
True, true, But that salary and that accommodation is provided
on the grace of the king and not from text payer. Yes,
so that's the thing. I heard some talk that now
that he is no longer a prince, there'll be even
more pressure to get him over to testify to your
politicians about Epstein.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
I think there will be. I mean that that that
could be dragged out for years though, I mean, you know,
back and forth as this continues to go down, and
we'll see if any more accusations come out as well.
You know, it seems like they try to bury this
and then there's something new that came out. And I think,
you know, that was the hope that, you know, when
the Queen took care of this when she was still alive,

(01:34):
that this might kind of go away. But it didn't,
did it. I mean, the book came out, and the
King has taken some you know, what some might say
are extraordinary measures for this to to you know, to
give it more transparency.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
Exactly now to your King, well, you know, to yours,
your president Donald Trump. What was he really saying when
he talked about resuming nuclear testing, Because as I understand it,
that's an enormously complicated and extremely expensive and dangerous measure
to take. But what was he actually trying to do?

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Well, I think that's what everybody's trying to read between
the lines right now, because this kind of came out
at left field. It started just minutes before he met
with the China's president and he posted on a social
media site that he had instructed the Department of War
to start testing are nuclear weapons on an equal basis.
Vice President ja d Vance got into this. He was

(02:30):
asked a few hours ago about what the President meant,
and he said, you know, I mean, he's going to
repeat what the President said. That basically said the media
post speaks for itself. The news outlets have been going
over to the White House trying to say, Okay, what
exactly does this mean? And the White House is only
saying that it was quote potentially the case that the
President was referring to testing that fits within the current norms,

(02:52):
because they said this, you know, you have to test
these things sometimes, you got to make sure they're functioning,
they're working properly.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yeah, but the only country that's been doing recently has
been North Korea. Everybody else are actually trusting their models
and trusting their systems and trusting the research that they've
already done. Because the letting off of any nuclear weapon,
presumably underground because you know, in the year, would not
actually cut it. Any of that sort of thing. It
doesn't actually prove anything, and it would actually bring you

(03:18):
down to the level of North Korea.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Well, it would, it would, And that's why I think
that that maybe, as we know, the President tends to
speak first sometimes and you know, think after he has spoken,
So maybe this was one of those occasions where he
just happened to be a little overeager and the White
House will kind of be backing off on some of
those comments, or at least trying to do some spin

(03:42):
controller spin damage control in the in the coming days now.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
IICE I US have been asked to suspend immigration enforcement
actions for Halloween.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yes, which is already today for you guys, and it's
tomorrow for US, and he has requested that Homeland Security
officials kind of back off on this starting tomorrow through Sunday.
They want to allow children to participate in Halloween activities safely.
And we're seeing a lot of obviously Hispanics and Mexicans
who have backed away from public celebrations or meetings because

(04:14):
of fear over these ice raids over here. There have
been a number of days like the Day of the
Dead celebration that's coming up, that's a big holiday in
that country. And celebrated quite a bit over here in
the US that are being modified because of concerns about
these raids. And Chicago's been a big battleground and it's
been a big part of a debate over immigration enforcement.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
And Dana and I thank you so much. Dan Mitchison
out of the United States of America. For more from
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be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.