President Donald Trump unveiled plans for a new type of US Navy warship that will carry his name. He claims these vessels will be “100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.” The announcement took place at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and introduced what the White House calls the “Golden Fleet” initiative.
This decision is significant because naming a class of ships after a sitting president goes against normal Navy tradition. However, according to The Sun, administration officials say there is a precedent for this, pointing to the Air Force’s F-47 designation as an example.
Trump announced an aggressive building plan, starting with two initial Trump-class battleships. The final goal is to build between 20 and 25 of these ships, which will become the main warships of the US Navy.
The new battleships promise cutting-edge military technology
The specifications reveal why Trump is so excited about these ships. They are designed to be revolutionary, not just minor improvements. The battleships will have advanced weapons including powerful lasers and hypersonic missiles.
Trump also emphasized that artificial intelligence will be a “big factor” in the design, meaning these ships will be faster and more automated than current vessels.
The future Trump Class Battleship USS DEFIANT will be the largest, deadliest, most versatile, and best-looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans. I want to thank @POTUS for his vision to make this game-changing capability a reality for America’s Navy. pic.twitter.com/968vY5by2g
— Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan (@SECNAV) December 22, 2025
Navy Secretary John Phelan revealed another major detail: the Trump-class battleships will carry nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles. This feature highlights the extreme firepower these ships are meant to have. The president has been making several bold announcements recently, including his lawsuit against BBC media.
U.S. President Donald J. Trump has officially announced the Trump-class battleship, led by the first ship of the class, the USS Defiant, which President Trump states will be “the fastest and biggest battleship in the history of the world,” with a total of ten ships set to be… pic.twitter.com/DIAJNtgbYd
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 22, 2025
The ships will be enormous, weighing between 30,000 and 40,000 tons. This makes them much larger than current US Navy destroyers and cruisers, though still smaller than the Iowa-class battleships that were retired in the 1990s.
Concept images show a large warship that looks like a modern cruiser, filled with missile launchers and at least one laser weapon. Trump said he plans to be personally involved in designing the ships because he considers himself “a very aesthetic person.” He has often criticized how existing Navy ships look, so he wants these new battleships to appear as impressive as they perform.
When asked if these warships are meant to counter China, Trump refused to single out Beijing. He simply said, “It’s a counter to everybody, it’s not China. We get along great with China.” However, the move clearly addresses concerns in Congress that the US fleet has fallen behind China’s rapidly growing navy.
Trump’s foreign policy approach has drawn attention before, especially when he announced Ukraine would cede territory. Trump also expressed frustration with how slowly defense companies build ships and plans to meet with contractors next week in Florida to speed up production. He warned he will penalize companies that “aren’t doing a good job.”
