CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Donald Trump: Killer of Arms Control and Disarmament

President Donald J. Trump poses for a Family Photo with world leaders at the Shield of the Americas summit at Trump National Doral, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Miami, Florida. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

In less than two years, Donald Trump has disarmed the Congress and put the Constitution on life support.  The separation of powers has been breached, and checks and balances have been compromised.  One of Trump’s most serious victims is arms control and disarmament, a tragedy the mainstream media have virtually ignored.

Trump’s initial proposal last week to allow the sale of nuclear reactors to Saudi Arabia could spark a round of nuclear proliferation that threatens the global community.  Trump’s proposal provided a path for Saudi Arabia to eventually make its own nuclear fuel and allowed the Saudis to avoid nuclear inspections that more than 140 nations have accepted.  Such a scenario would threaten the Non-Proliferation Treaty that was signed in 1969 and could create an additional nuclear power for the first time in 20 years, when North Korea initially tested nuclear weapons.

One of the major reasons for having only nine nuclear states is the role of the NPT as well as the monitoring activities of the United States and the international arms control community.  The fact that there are so few nuclear powers is a testament to the success of the Non-Proliferation Treaty that was negotiated in the 1960s due to Soviet fears of Germany gaining access to nuclear weapons.

Less than 24 hours after the deal with Saudi Arabia was announced, Trump shifted gears and created a new condition—the Saudis would have........

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