The to-be-implemented battleships with the name “Trump-class” that are characterized as the next generation of warships have been revealed by the US President Donald Trump, who believes they will be the most powerful warships in the world and will ensure the US’s superiority at sea.
Trump, during his speech at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on Monday, said that the planned ships would be bigger, quicker, and “100 times more powerful” than the existing US battleships combined. The vessels will form the backbone of what he described as a future “Golden Fleet” for the US Navy.
Standing beside a visual rendering of the ships, Trump said the new battleships would feature cutting-edge military technology, including artificial intelligence systems, directed-energy laser weapons, hypersonic missiles, nuclear-capable cruise missiles and rail guns—many of which are currently under development by the US Navy.
“These will be the largest battleships in the history of our country, and the largest in the history of the world,” Trump said, adding that the fleet would serve as a “counter to everybody,” rather than targeting any specific nation.
According to the announcement, construction will initially begin with two ships, with plans to expand the fleet to 10 vessels, and potentially as many as 25, over time. Trump said work on the first two ships would begin immediately, with the lead vessel to be named USS Defiant.
President Trump and the Secretary of the Navy John Phelan characterized the Trump-class bears a resemblance to modern-day battleships being the 21st century’s fierce successors to the 20th-century battleships, to name a few, the Missouri, North Carolina, and New Jersey. Nevertheless, the new design will predominantly use missiles as firepower instead of the heavyweight naval guns characterizing the traditional battleships.
Battleships, mainly World War II, reached their zenith with the Iowa class as America’s most enormous ship which weighed about 60,000 tonnes. Their importance slowly deteriorated as the advent of aircraft carriers and long-range missiles dictated the changes in naval warfare. The proposed Trump-class ships, according to details on a newly launched Golden Fleet website, would be similar in size to the Iowa-class but weigh only about 35,000 tonnes, require significantly smaller crews of 650 to 850 sailors, and rely on advanced missile systems instead of heavy artillery.
Trump also referenced President Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet as inspiration, describing the new initiative as a symbol of renewed American naval strength. He said the expansion would be paired with tighter oversight of defence contractors to reduce delays and cost overruns.
The US president announced that he will meet major defence companies next week to push for faster production timelines and examine executive compensation, stock buybacks and dividends, which he suggested may be hindering defence manufacturing.
“We don’t want executives making tens of millions while production slows down,” Trump said, citing delays in programmes such as the F-35 fighter jets.
The announcement signals a major shift in US naval ambitions, combining symbolic power with emerging military technologies as part of Trump’s broader push for military supremacy.
