History repeats itself: Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ compared to Reagan’s failed ‘Star Wars’ plan

As Congressional Republicans struggle to pass a major spending bill that includes many of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises, the White House is introducing another costly initiative the president believes the government should pursue: the development of a “Golden Dome.”

How much will the Golden Dome cost?

Modeled after Israel’s Iron Dome—a sophisticated missile defense system—the Golden Dome would serve as a major upgrade to the United States’ own missile defense capabilities. According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, the project could cost as much as $542 billion over the next two decades. The White House has floated the much lower figure of $175 billion for the total cost.

Earlier this week, President Trump expressed his hope that the system could be developed and operational by the end of his term in early 2029. However, that timeline appears ambitious, especially given the state of the funds the GOP plans to allocate towards the project and the state of technologies that the system would depend on.

That’s where the president’s proposed “big, beautiful bill” comes into play. He is urging Republicans to include approximately $25 billion for the Golden Dome’s initial development in a broader bill focused on tax breaks—legislation that would further reduce government revenue and increase the national deficit.

Critics have also focused on the fact that it appears that Elon Musk’s SpaceX could play a leading role in the development of the program and could receive billions in public funds.

Comparisons to Reagan’s Star Wars intitiave

President Trump’s support for the Golden Dome has drawn comparisons to Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), often referred to as the “Star Wars” program. Reagan’s SDI aimed to develop an advanced missile defense system capable of intercepting and neutralizing incoming nuclear ballistic missiles.

At the time, the proposal was seen as deeply provocative by Soviet leaders, who viewed it as a threat to the strategic balance. In response, they accelerated the development of their own weapons technologies, further fueling the arms race and reinforcing the doctrine of mutual assured destruction in the event of a direct conflict.

In 1987, four years after SDI was announced, the American Physical Society released a report concluding that the initiative was technologically unfeasible. Much of the required technology, they noted, was still decades away. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, interest in such systems waned.

Trump’s Golden Dome revives elements of Reagan’s vision and has sparked similar critiques. The system would involve intercepting missiles from space, with support from other weapons systems on the ground.

Has the US military requested an enhanced missle defense system?

The New Republic’s Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling reported earlier this week that leaders of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) had described the “current system” as “adequate.” President Trump refuted the characterization of the current state of US missile defense capabilities as a system. “We have certain areas of missiles and missile defense, but there’s no system. We just have some very capable weapons," argued the president.

When another reporter asked if the proposal to build the Golden Dome had come from the military, the president responded that it was his idea and that military leaders “loved it.”

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