Trump Announces 'Golden Fleet': Navy Battleships Named After Himself

Tue Dec 23 2025 11:44:11 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

President Trump reveals plans for a new series of Navy battleships to be built in the U.S., aiming to enhance the country's naval capabilities against rivals as he emphasizes job creation.

In a bold announcement at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump unveiled plans to commission a new class of Navy battleships named 'Trump-class'. The first ship, USS Defiant, is set to enter construction soon, and the series aims to bolster the U.S. Navy's capacity amid concerns of lagging behind China. Trump promises state-of-the-art capabilities and significant job creation in the shipbuilding sector.

President Donald Trump has announced that the US will commission a new series of heavily armed Navy 'battleships' named after himself, as part of a revamped 'Golden Fleet'.

Construction on the Trump-class USS Defiant ship, which will be equipped to carry an array of weapons, is expected to begin soon, with Trump saying the first vessels will be operational in two-and-a-half years.

The announcement is part of a larger planned expansion of the US Navy by President Trump in both manned and unmanned vessels, including larger missile-armed warships and smaller vessels.

Officials have warned that the US currently lags behind China in both shipbuilding capacity and total output.

Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida alongside defence secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan on Monday, Trump said he approved the construction of two new battleships to start, with a plan to build up to 25.

'They'll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far, 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,' Trump said.

Once completed, Trump said the armed vessels would be equipped to carry hypersonic and 'extremely lethal' weapons, and would be the flagships of the US Navy.

Trump, who spoke while flanked on both sides with posters of renderings of the 'Trump class' ships, said the vessels would be built domestically, and their construction would create 'thousands' of jobs.

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Phelan said that Trump had specifically asked for a 'big, beautiful' battleship-type vessel as part of the fleet, which will also include dozens of support and transport vessels.

On 19 December, another new set of vessels, based on the US Coast Guard's Legend-class National Security Cutter, were announced by the US Navy.

'Recent operations from the Red Sea to the Caribbean make the requirement undeniable - our small surface combatant inventory is a third of what we have,' Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle said in a video statement about the new ships.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has vowed to revive the US shipbuilding industry, citing the need for the US to catch up amidst increasing competition from China.

Amid rising tensions with Venezuela, Trump has also highlighted the importance of expanding U.S. military capabilities to ensure national security.