On the heels of trade war truce with China, Trump says "we're always watching them"

Updated on: November 2, 2025 / 7:35 PM EST / CBS News

Just days after touting a trade truce with China, President Trump acknowledged that China is "always watching us."

American intelligence agencies say the Chinese have infiltrated parts of the U.S. power grid and water systems. China has also been accused of stealing American intellectual property and Americans' personal information. 

"We're a threat to them, too. Many of the things that you say, we do to them," Mr. Trump said. "Look, this is a very competitive world, especially when it comes to China and the U.S. And we're always watching them, and they're always watching us. In the meantime, I think we get along very well, and I think we can be bigger, better, and stronger by working with them as opposed to just knocking them out."

Before Mr. Trump met with China's President Xi Jinping last week, he wrote on Truth Social that he'd instructed the Department of War "to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis" with other countries. 

He told 60 Minutes he'd discussed doing something about denuclearization with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Are you saying that after more than 30 years, the United States is going to start detonating nuclear weapons for testing?" O'Donnell asked. 

"I'm saying that we're going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do," Mr. Trump replied. "Russia's testing, and China's testing, but they don't talk about it." 

Vice Adm. Richard Correll, who was nominated by Mr. Trump to lead U.S. Strategic Command, recently told Congress that neither Russia nor China was conducting nuclear explosive tests. Mr. Trump suggested otherwise. 

"Russia's testing, and China's testing, but they don't talk about it," he said.