True cost of Trump’s $175,000,000,000 ‘Golden Dome’ ‘revealed’ as China issues scathing warning to US
Former President Donald Trump has announced a massive plan called the “Golden Dome,” which is a new military defense project that would involve putting weapons and satellites into space.
Trump says it will cost about $175 billion and be fully working by the time he leaves office in 2029. He believes this is necessary because the United States is falling behind other countries like China and Russia, who are already working on space-based weapons.
To kick things off, Trump is asking Congress to approve \$25 billion as part of a new tax bill to fund the beginning stages of the project. But experts are warning that the real price tag could be much higher.
At a recent Senate hearing, a military official explained that building a smaller version of the Golden Dome system just for Guam a tiny U.S. island in the Pacific would already cost around \$8 billion. That raised eyebrows because Guam is much smaller than the rest of the U.S. If it costs that much for a small island, building a full version for the entire country could cost far more.
One senator from Maine, Angus King, used simple math to estimate the true cost. He pointed out that there are at least 779 cities in the U.S. with more people than Guam. If each one needed the same \$8 billion system, the total cost could rise to over \$6 trillion way more than the \$175 billion Trump mentioned.
Another estimate based on land area comparing the size of Guam to the U.S. mainland came up with a slightly lower but still huge number: $119 billion. And yet another report from the Congressional Budget Office warned that the space parts of the project alone could cost \$542 billion over the next 20 years.
The final price depends on what version of the project is chosen. There are three options: basic, advanced, and extremely advanced. The difference between them comes down to how many satellites, sensors, and space-based defense systems would be launched.
In short, while Trump has announced a space defense plan with a \$175 billion budget, different experts and agencies believe the actual cost could be several times higher possibly reaching into the trillions. And China has already responded with strong criticism, warning the U.S. against turning space into a battlefield.
