Former US President Donald Trump has announced a major naval expansion, greenlighting the construction of a new class of massive warships that will bear his name. The revelation came on Monday, 22 December 2025, as Trump remained in Palm Beach, Florida, for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
A New 'Golden Fleet' for the US Navy
Flanked by senior officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Trump declared he had approved plans for the US Navy to build two new, exceptionally large battleships. He proclaimed these vessels would be "100 times more powerful than any battleships ever built" and form part of a new "Golden Fleet."
According to details first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the new Trump-class ships are set to replace the ageing Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Each vessel is projected to carry a staggering price tag of approximately $5 billion.
Specifications and Strategic Aims
The president stated the ships would displace between 30,000 and 40,000 tons, making them among the largest of their type in US naval history. A US official told the Journal that the designs include capacity for futuristic weaponry such as directed energy lasers and electromagnetic railguns.
While the Journal reported that the fleet expansion, which also includes new frigates announced last week, was developed by a joint Navy-White House team to counter China's growing influence, Trump publicly disputed this specific aim. On Monday, he insisted the fleet was intended to counter "everybody" and took time to praise his administration's relationship with Beijing.
Navy Secretary John Phelan echoed the president's rhetoric, vowing the Trump administration would "make battleships great again" and construct the "best-looking" ships on the planet.
Historical Comparisons and Past Record
During his announcement, Trump reflected on historical naval power, lamenting, "We used to build a ship a day, during World War 2. And now we don’t really do ships anymore." He claimed the design process for the new battleships began during his first term, prompted by his question, "Why aren't we doing battleships like we used to?"
The announcement comes despite the fact that during Trump's first term, US naval shipbuilding failed to meet the targets previously set by the Obama administration. The president, however, praised his first term's record on submarine construction and modernisation.
Artistic renderings displayed beside Trump featured the lead ship of the new class, to be named the USS Defiant. This significant military policy move occurs concurrently with a ramping up of US military pressure around Venezuela, signalling a period of intensified naval focus and investment.
