Trump Unveils ‘Trump-Class’ Battleships to Boost U.S. Naval Power
PALM BEACH, Fla.
President Donald Trump announced an ambitious plan to build a new generation of U.S. warships that he has dubbed the “Trump-class” battleships — projected to be the most powerful surface combatants in American naval history and the centerpiece of his proposed “Golden Fleet.”
What the Announcement Covers
New Heavy Warships: Trump said the Navy will begin building two Trump-class battleships immediately, with the first vessel to be named USS Defiant. Fleet Vision: The long-term goal is to expand this into a fleet of 20–25 battleships to project U.S. sea power around the globe. Power and Size: According to the administration, these ships will be larger, faster, and “100 times more powerful” than any previously built U.S. battleship.
Advanced Weapons and Capabilities
The Trump-class vessels are described as integrating:
Hypersonic missiles
High-powered lasers
Nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles
Railgun systems and advanced radar suites
Administration officials stressed these technologies would give the U.S. unmatched firepower, combining traditional naval guns with next-generation weapons.
Golden Fleet Initiative
The battleships are part of Trump’s broader Golden Fleet concept — a proposed revitalization and expansion of the U.S. Navy designed to:
Boost American shipbuilding and defense industry capacity
Create thousands of jobs in U.S. yards
Enhance global maritime deterrence and strategic reach
Trump emphasized that the ships would be built entirely in the United States and that he expects the fleet to restore U.S. naval dominance.
Historical Context
The U.S. has not built a traditional battleship since the Iowa-class was retired in the early 1990s. These new designs break sharply with modern naval trends, which have favored smaller, distributed surface combatants and carrier strike groups over large gun-armed battleships.
Reactions and Outlook
While supporters praise the plan as bold and visionary, military analysts and critics have raised questions about:
Feasibility and cost of such large vessels
How they fit with current naval strategy
Technological challenges, especially around unproven weapon systems
Whether Congress will fund the program’s estimated multibillion-dollar price tag
The U.S. Navy’s leadership has indicated these ships would combine firepower with multi-role capabilities, but detailed cost and design specifics have not yet been released.