The Trump administration has taken a highly proactive stance on nuclear energy, framing it as both an energy security priority and a tool of national competitiveness. Its approach combines deregulation, ambitious expansion goals, and strong alignment with broader strategic themes such as AI-driven electricity demand, industrial dominance, and military resilience.
The centerpiece of this policy push has been a set of executive orders directing the Department of Energy (DOE), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and related agencies to accelerate licensing, streamline approval processes, and reduce regulatory hurdles for new and existing nuclear projects. These orders articulate a goal of building at least 10 large nuclear reactors by 2030 and adding around 300 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity by 2050, which would be a massive expansion compared to the current U.S. fleet of roughly 95 reactors producing about 100 GW.
The administration has emphasized the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced reactors as a way to cut costs, shorten construction timelines, and improve safety margins. It has encouraged industry consortia to fast-track prototype builds and sought to align federal approvals with commercial deployment schedules. Nuclear power is also being directly tied to powering AI data centers, defense installations, and critical infrastructure, reflecting Trump’s broader emphasis on energy dominance and strategic autonomy.
A key theme is domestic fuel supply security. The administration has directed efforts to rebuild the U.S. uranium enrichment and conversion industry, reduce reliance on Russian and other foreign sources, and establish a full domestic nuclear fuel cycle. This ties into Trump’s broader industrial policy of reshoring critical supply chains.
Regulatory reform is another hallmark. The NRC has been instructed to shorten environmental reviews, enforce strict approval timelines, and even reconsider some radiation exposure standards, a move that has drawn controversy from health and safety experts. The administration has also signaled interest in revising waste management policies, including reconsideration of Yucca Mountain, though without committing firmly to a single path.
The approach has bipartisan echoes—previous administrations also supported nuclear innovation—but Trump’s framing is more aggressive in its deregulation, capacity targets, and connection to national power projection. Critics, however, warn that the cost of new builds, limited workforce capacity, and potential safety risks could derail these ambitions. Furthermore, reductions in staff or funding at DOE and NRC may undermine execution even as policy direction expands.
At its core, the Trump administration’s dossier on nuclear energy can be summarized as expansionist, deregulatory, and security-driven. Nuclear power is being positioned not only as part of the energy mix, but as a strategic pillar of U.S. industrial and geopolitical strength.