Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said the administration's nuclear strategy should not be based on President Donald Trump's recent boast of having a "more powerful" nuclear launch button, the Washington Examiner reports.
And Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said any attempt by Trump to increase the nuclear arsenal would spark an international arms race and increase the risk of a war, according to the Examiner.
His comments came as the administration's Nuclear Posture Review is expected to be released next week. A leaked draft indicted the Trump administration is aiming to develop new nuclear firepower. However, the plan has not yet been approved by Trump.
But Smith said the administration must change its strategy.
"A nuclear posture that implements the president's view that his nuclear button is 'bigger and more powerful' is short-sighted and ill-advised," he said. "This review is a missed opportunity to introduce realism into our nuclear weapons planning, enhance our security, and reassure our allies."
Earlier this month, Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traded insults as tensions rose over Pyongyang's nuclear program.
Trump had posted on Twitter:
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.