In a few days, Donald Trump has placed nuclear power at the center of American power — both civil and military.
On the one hand, an 80 billion dollar agreement between Washington and Westinghouse Electric, supported by Canadians Cameco and Brookfield, to finance and accelerate the construction of new civil reactors.
On the other, the possibility of resuming underground nuclear tests, interrupted for 33 years.
The message is clear: in the age of artificial intelligence and global rivalry, power is now measured in megawatts and warheads.
An 80 billion dollar atomic “New Deal”
Under the terms of the agreement, the US government will facilitate financing and licensing of Westinghouse reactors for a total of $80 billion, in exchange for a 20% stake in future profits and a potential equity stake in the company if its value exceeds $30 billion by 2029.
An unprecedented structure which makes the government a direct financial player in nuclear power, blurring the line between regulator and beneficiary.
This partnership embodies Trump’s strategy: maximizing energy production to meet the electricity thirst of data centers and AI, while reaffirming American industrial supremacy in the face of China and Russia.
Experts warn of the risks of deregulation under pressure. “The disasters of Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima all have a common cause: the lack of independence of the regulator,” warns Greg Jaczko, former president of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Westinghouse, whose last project in Vogtle (Georgia) caused bankruptcy in 2017 after seven years of delays and a final cost of 35 billion dollars, now wants to turn the page with its new AP1000 reactors.
But environmental defenders point out that the climate crisis – droughts, warming waters – could make nuclear production even more unstable.
“You’ll find out very soon”: the return of military nuclear power
Asked on Friday aboard Air Force One about the possible resumption of nuclear testing, Trump simply replied: “You’ll find out very soon.”
According to Reuters, this declaration aims as much to reassure supporters of a strong America as to send a signal to Beijing and Moscow, accused of modernizing their arsenals.
Trump ordered the Pentagon to “immediately resume the testing process,” an announcement that ends a three-decade moratorium and reawakens Cold War reflexes.
Experts remain cautious. “Neither China nor Russia have carried out explosive tests,” recalls Admiral Richard Correll, head of Strategic Command.
But the presidential speech restarts the symbolic spiral of deterrence.
An all-out power war
By marrying civil nuclear power for profit and military nuclear power for threat, Donald Trump is redefining American doctrine:
the atom once again becomes a tool of absolute sovereignty, an economic lever as much as a psychological instrument.
Analysts are already talking about a “New Atomic Age”, where energy conquest and military strategy advance hand in hand.
“We have returned to the dynamics of the Cold War,” notes Jon Wolfsthal, former adviser to Barack Obama.
Also read:
