Fox News Reporter Asks Trump if He’s About to ‘Trigger an Arms Race in Space’ With ‘Golden Dome’ Project

Fox News White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich asked if his proposed “Golden Dome” risks igniting an arms race free-for-all in space.

Trump took questions from reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, where he boasted about the inclusion of $25 million in initial funding for the missile defense system in Republicans’ spending bill. The project is anticipated to cost $175 billion and be built over the next few years, and will be overseen by Space Force, which was created in Trump’s first term.

In January, the president signed an executive order calling for a far more expansive missile defense system, one that would use space-based weapons and technology.

“Mr. President, when you first announced this idea, critics said it would be prohibitively expensive, potentially ineffective, and could trigger an arms race in space,” Heinrich noted to Trump. “What do you say to those critics about that?”

“Well, they’re wrong,” Trump replied. “It’s about as close to perfect as you can have in terms of real production.”

The president then claimed Canada wants to be part of the defense system and said it would be made in the U.S. because “we have the most brilliant minds in the world doing this kind of thing. The equipment, the space, the computers, everything.”

Heinrich followed up with a question about Russia, which the NATO secretary-general said might try to use nuclear weapons against satellites in space.

“Have you addressed Russia’s ventures in space with a space-based nuclear weapon and told Putin to stop in your conversations with him?” she asked.

“We haven’t discussed it, but at the right time we will,” Trump responded before moving on.

Watch above via Fox News.