‘We Had To Do That’: Trump Defends Decision To Move Nuclear Subs After Russian Comments

President Donald Trump defended his decision to move two nuclear submarines on Friday — in response to “highly provocative” comments made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev — telling reporters, “We had to do that.”

Speaking to members of the press on the White House lawn, the president explained that Medvedev’s statements had raised enough concern that he felt the move necessary in order to preserve the “safety for our people.”

WATCH:

.@POTUS on repositioning two U.S. nuclear subs: “We had to do that… A threat was made and we didn’t think it was appropriate, so I have to be very careful — I do that on the basis of safety for our people.” https://t.co/UkMrEFHcph pic.twitter.com/IXluSTn294

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 1, 2025

When asked about the submarines, Trump replied, “Oh, yeah, well we had to do that. We just have to be careful. And a threat was made and we didn’t think it was appropriate, so I have to be very careful — I do that on the basis of safety for our people.”

“A threat was made by a former President of Russia,” Trump continued. “And we’re going to protect our people.”

Trump announced the move earlier on Friday, sharing the news in a post to his Truth Social platform.

“Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” he said. “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

As The Daily Wire reported, Medvedev, who is currently serving as Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, said earlier this week that Trump’s ultimatums to Russia — over the war with Ukraine — were “a step towards war.”