A Doomsday Clock expert has warned Donald Trump’s plan to build a Golden Dome to protect North America may have unwanted consequences – and even lead to a space war. Steve Fetter, Bulletin Science and Security Board member and professor of public policy and former dean at the University of Maryland, said: “President’s Trump’s proposed Golden Dome which has called for the placing of missile defence interceptors in space.

“While those would probably not be useful in protecting us from nuclear attacks, they would be able to be used against other objects in space and this could trigger a competition with Russia and China to place their weapons in space. And pose the possibility of a war in space.”

The Doomsday Clock was moved forward to 85 seconds to midnight – the closest to midnight it’s ever been.

This signifies that the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) has determined humanity is closer to a global, man-made catastrophe than last year. These issues include nuclear war, climate change, or disruptive technologies like AI.

In 2025, the time was moved to 89 seconds (1 minute, 29 seconds) before midnight, the closest it has ever been set to midnight since its inception in 1947.

Alexandra Bell, the CEO of the BAS, said: “Humanity has not made sufficient progress on the existential risks that endanger us all. We thus move the clock forward.

“The Doomsday Clock is a tool for communicating how close we are to destroying the world with technologies of our own making.

“The risk we face from nuclear weapons, climate change, and disruptive technologies are all growing. Every second counts and we are running out of time.”

Jon Wolfsthal, a member of the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board, warned that Donald Trump thinking about restarting nuclear testing would have major negative impacts on the planet.

He said: “Any country restarting nuclear tests would be incredibly damaging… It would be a serious negative impact on global stability and security.”