Donald Trump has announced a ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence program revealing who’s set to be involved, an anticipated timeline, and why it’s all necessary.
On May 20, Trump outlined his ideas for a $175 billion ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence program while speaking to reporters from the Oval Office in the White House.
The goal of the program? To help the US to intercept missiles ‘even if they are launched from space‘.
Current vice chief of space operations, General Michael Guetlein, is set to oversee the progress of the Golden Dome and – shockingly – the POTUS’ right-hand man Elon Musk is also potentially set to be involved.
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Here’s a breakdown of it all for you…
What is the Golden Dome and why is it necessary?
Donald Trump revealed plans for the Golden Dome on May 20 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
China and Russia developing new, advanced missiles hasn’t sat well with the US. The two countries have already put offensive weapons in space – including satellites that can disable critical US satellites – meaning the US is subsequently vulnerable to attack.
Following warnings from the Pentagon that updating countermeasures is a much-needed step, the POTUS has since decided to do something about it.
Essentially, the Golden Dome program is set to strengthen the US’ ability to detect and stop missiles at four specific stages of a missiles’ launch and journey:
- Before a launch
- During the earliest stage of a missile’s flight
- During the middle of a missile’s course
- During the final minutes as a missile approaches a target
Head of the US Space Force, General Chance Saltzman, said the Golden Dome and its weapons ‘represent new and emerging requirements for missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations’.
And Trump has an ambitious plan for how long the program should take to set up.
The Golden Dome is a missile defense system (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Trump’s timeline for the Golden Dome
Trump’s presidency is set to come to an end in 2029 – as long as he doesn’t try and find a loophole to run for a third time that is.
And during Tuesday’s press conference, he said he hopes the Golden Dome will be ‘fully operational before the end of [his] term’.
The president also detailed an initial spend of $25 billion to begin work on the program.
The system is reported as being set to cost $175 billion to create – and it could cost the US an even heftier amount in the long-run.
Trump hopes to achieve the program before his second term comes to an end (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The expected cost of the Golden Dome
It’s reported there are medium, high and ‘extra high’ choices for developing options within the program, an official said as reported by PA News Agency.
The differences between the three options would essentially depend on how many satellites, sensors, and space-based interceptors are bought.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that space-based components of the program alone could cost as much as $542 billion over the next 20 years.
On Tuesday, newly confirmed Air Force Secretary Troy Meink noted to senators there’s not actually any money currently available for the project yet with the Golden Dome ‘still in the conceptual stage’.
But where does Elon Musk come into all of it?
The program could cost the US as much as $542 billion over the next 20 years (Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Elon Musk’s potential involvement in the Golden Dome
Well, ‘six people familiar with the matter’ told Reuters that Musk’s SpaceX alongside two partners are ‘frontrunners’ to help build the program.
Representatives of SpaceX alongside software maker Palantir and drone builder Anduril reportedly met with Trump administration officials alongside the Pentagon to make their pitch.
The pitch? To build and launch between 400-1,000 satellites around the globe to detect missiles alongside another 200 armed with missiles or lasers themselves to stop enemy missiles.
UNILAD has contacted SpaceX for comment.
So, what has China said about the US’ Golden Dome plan?
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has reportedly already pitched to get involved in the program (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
China’s response to the Golden Dome
Not long after Trump’s announcement of the program, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning issued a warning.
Mao said the Golden Dome carries ‘strong offensive implications’, and increases the risk of outer space becoming militarized.
He also argued it heightens the risks of an arms race.
The spokesperson said: “The United States, in pursuing a ‘US-first’ policy, is obsessed with seeking absolute security for itself. This violates the principle that the security of all countries should not be compromised and undermines global strategic balance and stability. China is seriously concerned about this.”
Mao even urged Washington to ditch the development of the Golden Dome altogether.
Although, with Trump at the helm, I wouldn’t hold my breath…Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
Topics: China, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Money, Politics, Space X, US News, World News
Published 10:27 21 May 2025 GMT+1
China issues warning to Donald Trump after he revealed plans for $175,000,000,000 ‘Golden Dome’ system
China’s foreign ministry responded after Trump announced plans for weapons in space
China has issued a warning to Donald Trump and the United States after the president announced his plans for a future ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence programme.
Trump outlined his ideas for the latest defence plan from the Oval Office in the White House on Tuesday (May 20), telling reporters that he hopes to move quickly on the idea which will put US weapons in space for the very first time.
The goal of the Golden Dome is to help the US to intercept missiles – ‘even if they are launched from space’, the POTUS explained.
General Michael Guetlein, who currently serves as the vice chief of space operations, will be in charge of overseeing the progress of the Golden Dome, which is set to cost $175 billion dollars.
The Golden Dome intends to put US weapons in space (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
What is the Golden Dome?
Following warnings from the Pentagon about the new, advanced missiles developed by China and Russia, the focus of the Golden Dome is to both detect and stop missiles at four specific stages:
- Before a launch
- During the earliest stage of flight
- In the middle of their course
- In the final minutes as they approach a target
Planners at the Pentagon have spent months coming up with options for interceptors, with one US official cited by the PA News Agency explaining that they came up with ‘medium, high and extra high choices’ based on cost, with differences varying on satellites, sensors, and space-based interceptors.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that space-based components of the programme alone could cost as much as $542 billion over the next 20 years, with Trump requesting an initial $25 billion for the programme.
The Golden Dome is set to cost millions of dollars (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
What has China said about the Golden Dome?
After news of Trump’s plans came to light, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning issued a warning on the implications and potential outcomes of the Golden Dome.
Mao said the Golden Dome carries ‘strong offensive implications’, and increases the risk of outer space becoming militarized.
On top of that, Mao said it also heightens the risks of an arms race.
The spokesperson said: “The United States, in pursuing a ‘US-first’ policy, is obsessed with seeking absolute security for itself. This violates the principle that the security of all countries should not be compromised and undermines global strategic balance and stability. China is seriously concerned about this.”
Mao went as far as urging Washington to abandon the development of the Golden Dome altogether.
China has urged Washington to abandon the idea (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Why does the US need the Golden Dome?
Since China and Russia have already put offensive weapons in space, including satellites that can disable critical US satellites, the US has been left vulnerable to attack.
General Chance Saltzman, head of the US Space Force, has said that the Golden Dome and its weapons ‘represent new and emerging requirements for missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations’.
However, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink has said the programme is ‘still in the conceptual stage’ for the time being.Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Contributor/Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla
Topics: Donald Trump, China, Politics, Military
Published 17:17 15 Apr 2025 GMT+1
China issues scathing response to Trump’s 145% tariffs with major new blow to the country
Donald Trump placed an 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods
China has issued an immediate response to Donald Trump’s extraordinary 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods, with the trade war not seeing an end in sight.
Ever since President Trump returned to the White House for a second term in January, it has been tariffs, tariffs and more tariffs.
With April 2 branded ‘Liberation Day‘ for the US, Trump unveiled a series of tariffs affecting countries across the globe, with China one of the worst hit.
China has ended up with a whopping 145 percent tariff ‘effective immediately’ after it tried to hit back with its own retaliatory tariffs.
“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Donald Trump has hiked the tariffs on China (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
China’s commerce ministry has since warned the US to ‘take a big step back to correct its mistakes’ and ‘return to the right path of mutual respect’.
And on April 11, Trump’s administration seemingly did take a step back, announcing smartphones, computers and other certain products would be exempt from the hiked tariffs, including Chinese goods.
But on Sunday (April 13), US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told ABC News that the exemptions may only be temporary and a ‘semiconductor tariff’ could be announced soon instead.
China has since hit back with a 125 percent tariff on US-manufactured goods, while it’s also banned its country’s airlines from completing any jet orders from US-based manufacturer Boeing.
All existing orders have been halted, while Chinese airlines have also been ordered to not buy any aircraft parts from Boeing.
The Telegraph reports the Chinese government are working with airlines who lease Boeing jets to assist on potential higher costs.
Boeing have been hit as a result of the tariffs imposed by Trump (WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images)
UNILAD has reached out to Boeing for comment.
While the tariffs continue to cause chaos across the globe, Trump doesn’t appear to have any plans on reversing his decisions.
The POTUS resolved on Truth Social: “The Golden Age of America, which includes the upcoming Tax and Regulation Cuts, a substantial amount of which was just approved by the House and Senate, will mean more and better paying Jobs, making products in our Nation, and treating other Countries, in particular China, the same way they have treated us.
“The bottom line is that our Country will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”Featured Image Credit: EVARISTO SA/Getty
Topics: Donald Trump, China, Tariffs, US News, Travel
Published 16:04 21 Apr 2025 GMT+1
China gives scathing response about ‘destructive’ US amid ongoing tariff war
But what exactly should ‘the US stop whining about’?
China Daily has unpacked Donald Trump’s rationale behind his tariff war on countries across the globe arguing why the US is ‘not getting ripped off by anybody’.
A fierce game of tariff tennis – without any of the fun of hearing the players’ serve sounds – has been ongoing between China and the US.
Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping have been hitting back and forward, Trump raising the tariffs on China to a staggering 145 percent – and if you thought that was bad, he was only just getting started, later whipping them up to a whopping 245 percent.
Why? Well, China retaliated and not only that, but raised tariffs on the US from 84 to 125 percent.
When asked about the White House‘s executive order implementing 245 percent tariffs on China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian simply replied, as quoted by the Global Times: “You can ask the US side for the specific tax rate figures.”
Donald Trump addresses Florida University shooting
Credit: ABC News
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However, it would appear China hasn’t held it’s tongue quite so much in a recent piece by state-run newspaper China Daily.
In an article published online and updated on April 15 on ChinaDaily.com, the outlet addressed Trump’s slamming of other countries of ‘ripping’ the US off – both in terms of domestic jobs, US industries and resources.
China reflected on this ‘fabricated premise of a long-standing grievance’ being the biggest driving factor of Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs which it dubs a ‘haughty demolition job’ and ‘radical power play’.
China Daily continues: “One of the aims of the US administration is to use the tariffs to close, if not reverse, the trade deficits with nearly all of the US’ trade partners.
“The preoccupation with trade deficits stems from a warped idea that they are proof that the US has been exploited by other countries.
“This has also made the US president and his trade advisers wrongly claim that the current rules governing global trade have put the US at a distinct disadvantage.”
Instead, the article argues the US ‘sells far more services than it buys from other countries’ quoting World Trade Organization director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala saying the ‘clear winner’ in ‘global trade in services’ is the US.
Put your hand in the air if you had the ‘warped idea’ of unleashing tariffs across the globe? (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The real ‘problem’? Well, the US’ own greed, China Daily argues.
The article resolves the US is ultimately ‘not getting ripped off by anybody’ but the real ‘problem’ is it’s been ‘living beyond its means for decades’.
It states: “It consumes more than it produces. It has outsourced its manufacturing and borrowed money in order to have a higher standard of living than it’s entitled to based on its productivity.
“Rather than being ‘cheated’, the US has been taking a free ride on the globalization train. The US should stop whining about itself being a victim in global trade and put an end to its capricious and destructive behavior.
“Instead, it should commit itself to working with its trading partners to establish a fair, free and WTO-centered multilateral trading system that is in line with the times.”
UNILAD has contacted the White House for comment.Featured Image Credit: Ken Ishii-Pool/Getty Images/Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Topics: Tariffs, China, US News, Donald Trump, Money
Published 12:49 18 May 2025 GMT+1
Trump had scathing response to Walmart after retail giant warned of higher prices due to tariffs
Walmart CEO Douglas McMillon has hinted price hikes may be coming to the retailer
Donald Trump has issued a scathing response to Walmart after the retailer warned prices are set to increase in store as a result of the president’s tariffs.
Walmart gets merchandise from the likes of Canada, China, India, Mexico and Vietnam, all of which face at least ten percent in tariffs.
The 47th POTUS has even increased tariffs on most Chinese goods to a staggering 145 percent, but that has since dropped to 30 percent for a 90-day period as Trump announced a temporary truce with China.
But if a subsequent trade agreement isn’t reached with China, Trump has warned ‘substantially higher’ tariffs could come in on a later date.
Walmart CEO Douglas McMillon hinted earlier this week that products across the retailer could see price hikes in the future amid Trump’s tariffs.
Walmart’s CEO has hinted at price hikes (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
“We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible. But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins,” the chief executive said in an earnings call on Thursday (May 15).
The president responded to these comments on Saturday by saying Walmart should stop ‘trying to blame tariffs’ for the price hikes.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain. Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected. Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, ‘EAT THE TARIFFS,’ and not charge valued customers ANYTHING.
“I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!”
Trump has issued a response to Walmart CEO Douglas McMillon’s claims regarding price hikes (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Billionaire Mark Cuban has previously urged members of the public to ‘go to Walmart’ before Trump’s new tariffs take full effect.
In a post on the social media platform Bluesky, Cuban encouraged members of the public to go to ‘the local Walmart or big box retailer’ as soon as possible.
The billionaire said: “It’s not a bad idea to go to the local Walmart or big box retailer and buy lots of consumables now. From toothpaste to soap, anything you can find storage space for, buy before they have to replenish inventory.”
Cuban went on to claim that companies could potentially use the tariffs as an excuse to increase prices, saying: “Even if it’s made in the USA , they will jack up the price and blame it on tariffs.”Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Andrew Harnik
Topics: Donald Trump, Tariffs, Walmart, Money, Politics, US News
