Donald Trump vows to build 'next-generation missile defence shield' if re-elected in 2024

As the 2024 United States Presidential elections come closer, leaders are ramping up their campaigns and with it come promises. Former US President Donald Trump on Friday said that he will develop a new missile defence shield for the United States if re-elected president in 2024 in order to address the increasing threat posed by hypersonic missiles. Trump said that he would work with Congress and military leaders to "build a state-of-the art, next-generation missile defence shield." 

“Our adversaries must understand that they, not the United States, will be totally destroyed if they ever dared to launch missiles against our homeland,” Trump said in the policy video shared with Semafor before its release. He further stressed, “There is no greater danger than the deadly menace of nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles'' and that “America must have an impenetrable dome to protect our people.”

Trump compared his proposed system to the deadly Iron Dome system utilised by Israel. He said the world has become "vastly more dangerous" under incumbent President Joe Biden.

Early in the video, Trump also complained that the word “nuclear” was “being mentioned all the time” in public discussions. “This is a word that you’re not allowed to use. It was never used during the Trump administration, but now other countries are using that word against us because they have no respect for our leadership,” he said. A third world war would make the first and second world wars look like "very small battles," Trump stated, adding that the best way to prevent such a conflict is to prepare with technology and strength. He later underscored that the US Space Force, which was established under the Trump administration, would play a vital role in the proposed effort.

Trump to kick off 2024 campaign on Saturday

Trump is set to kick off his 2024 White House bid on Saturday with visits to a pair of early voting states, his first campaign events since launching his bid more than two months ago, reported AP.

Trump will be the keynote speaker at the New Hampshire GOP’s annual meeting before traveling to Columbia, South Carolina, where he is set to unveil his leadership team at the Statehouse. The states hold two of the party’s first three nominating contests, giving them enormous power in selecting its nominee.

Trump and his allies hope the events will offer a show of force behind the former president after a sluggish start to his campaign that left many questioning his commitment to running again. In recent weeks, his backers have been reaching out to political operatives and elected officials to secure support for Trump’s re-election at a critical juncture when other Republicans are preparing their own expected challenges.