Trump era

Donald Trump is breaking tradition at almost every turn, which may be one reason he was the most unpopular incoming president in history. As former Vice President Joe Biden told The New York Times shortly before Trump took office, when it comes to foreign policy, "We have no freakin' idea what he's gonna do."

We do, however, know what we will do.

We will do everything we can to push for saner nuclear policies during the Trump administration. Donald Trump’s loose talk about nuclear expansion has only energized us to double down and work harder than ever before to protect everyone’s right to a future safe from nuclear dangers. We will continue to work on policies that are best for our nation, from taking nuclear weapons off high alert and requiring to congressional approval before any president can launch them in a first strike, to preserving the Iran deal, preventing an escalation with North Korea and stopping a new global arms race to rebuild nuclear weapons from taking off.

For the last 35 years we’ve sought out and funded the best initiatives and individuals – including nuclear scientists, policy experts, grassroots activists, creative innovators and many more – working to make sure nuclear weapons are never used again. Now, more than ever, please consider making a small monthly gift.

Today, as the largest public foundation in the United States dedicated exclusively to the elimination of nuclear weapons, we act at the hub of the best and brightest to push for saner nuclear policies and reductions in arsenals worldwide.

Latest News and Analysis on Nuclear Weapons in the Trump Era

  • Iran Deal: Hanging by a Thread

    The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – commonly known as the Iran nuclear agreement – was finalized in Vienna in July 2015. In what may have been the greatest foreign policy achievement in a generation, China, the European Union, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the United Kingdom, and...

    January 22, 2018 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Saving the Iran Deal: VoteVets

    What happens if President Trump and Congress demolish the Iran nuclear agreement? Military veterans are worried, especially those who’ve served in recent conflicts. They know what war in the Middle East is like. They know its sounds and smells. They’ve faced combatants, person to person,...

    December 11, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Rep. Adam Smith Introduces No First Use Bill

    On November 15, 2017, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced legislation to make it the policy of the United States to not use nuclear weapons first. The No First Use ...

    November 15, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • VIDEOS: Nuclear Weapons Policy in a Time of Crisis

    Videos, in chronological order, from the conference: 1. Welcoming Comments from Joe Cirincione, President, Ploughshares Fund; Opening Address: Congresswoman Barbara Lee 2. Senator Dianne Feinstein 3. Senator Ed Markey 4. Congressman Ted Lieu 5. Congressman Adam Smith 6. Future of the Iran Deal 7...

    November 3, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Costs of US Nuclear Arsenal Skyrocketing

    The Congressional Budget Office, CBO, recently released a new report estimating that the Trump administration’s plans to maintain and replace the US nuclear arsenal over 30 years would cost $1.2 trillion in constant...

    November 1, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • A Trump-Created Crisis with Iran

    President Donald Trump is creating another crisis, and this could be the worst of all. He is planning next week to begin pulling the United States out of the agreement made with the nations of the world to stop Iran’s nuclear program. He reportedly will say that the accord, approved unanimously...

    October 6, 2017 - By Joe Cirincione
  • We Have Got to Stop This Madness

    Like you, I am deeply worried. Everything we worked so hard to achieve is under attack. President Trump is overturning decades of bipartisan efforts that have blocked the spread of the deadliest weapons ever built. New policies coming out of the White House and Congress threaten the progress we...

    September 22, 2017 - By Joe Cirincione
  • How Trump Could Start a Nuclear War and How We Can Stop Him

    When King Aerys Targaryen, in the throes of madness, orders his men to ignite the stores of wildfire in the city of King’s Landing to "burn them all," Jaime Lannister, head of the Kingsguard in the Game of Thrones story, refuses to carry out the order. Rather than kill the five hundred...

    August 25, 2017 - By Joe Cirincione
  • North Korea: Avoiding Nuclear Catastrophe

    North Korea first tested a nuclear weapon almost eleven years ago. The Trump administration's response has turned a concerning situation into a legitimately dangerous one. The two leaders are facing off with nuclear weapons and inflammatory language, increasing the risk of nuclear war.

    August 17, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund
  • Nagasaki Day 2017

    On August 9, 1945, the United States dropped the ‘Fat Man’ atomic bomb on Nagasaki, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This was the second time a nuclear weapon was used in warfare, both times by the United States, whose government still maintains the right to a first nuclear...

    August 9, 2017 - By Ploughshares Fund