Trump says his biggest fear is ‘nuclear warming’, with China to overtake US in capability

In live interview on X by Elon Musk, Republican presidential nominee criticised Kamala Harris’ ability to deal with China’s ‘Chairman Xi’

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Former US president Donald Trump points during a campaign rally at Temple University in Philadelphia in June. Photo: The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Published: 12:57pm, 13 Aug 2024Updated: 10:36pm, 13 Aug 2024

Former US president Donald Trump warned on Monday that China’s nuclear capabilities, though behind the United States, could surpass American dominance “sooner than people think”, raising concerns about a shift in global power dynamics.

Trump shared the comments during a live conversation on X, formerly Twitter, conducted by billionaire Elon Musk, who last month endorsed the 2024 Republican presidential nominee and has pledged US$45 million per month towards the re-election bid.

The online event, which was delayed 40 minutes after Elon Musk cited a “DDOS attack” on X’s servers, lasted nearly two hours and touched on a range of topics, including immigration, drilling and crime.

But when commenting on the immediate risks the US could face, the Republican nominee said “nuclear warming” was among his biggest concerns.

“We have major nuclear [powers] and, you know, probably some others are getting there, and that’s very dangerous. That’s where you need a strong American president, because you just, you don’t want to have this proliferation,” Trump said.

“China has much less than us right now, but they’re going to catch us sooner than people think … They’ll end up catching up, maybe even passing [us].”