Trump Names New Battleships After Himself: What To Know About The 'Trump-Class'

Last Updated:December 24, 2025, 16:04 IST

Trump said the armed vessels would be equipped to carry hypersonic and “extremely lethal” weapons, and would be the flagships of the US navy.

US President Donald Trump walks past a rendering of the 'Trump Class' USS Deifant, at Mar-a-lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 22, 2025. (REUTERS)

US President Donald Trump unveiled plans for a new generation of American battleships on Monday, stating that the United States would build a class of heavy warships named the ‘Trump-class’. The announcement, made at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Navy Secretary John Phelan, comes at a time when the US Navy is contending with delays, industrial bottlenecks and concerns about China’s rapid fleet expansion.

Framing the ships as part of an effort to “restore America as a major shipbuilding power" and strengthen the US fleet, Trump said the programme would fall under a broader push he calls the Golden Fleet. The initiative, he said, is aimed at replacing ageing vessels, expanding overall naval capacity and reviving domestic shipbuilding.

What Trump Said

Trump stated that the Trump-class would begin with two ships, with a plan to build up to 25. He said they would be “some of the most lethal surface warfare ships" and “the largest battleship in the history of our country." The ships are expected to weigh between 30,000 and 40,000 tonnes, which would place them above current US destroyers and cruisers, though still below the Iowa-class battleships retired in the 1990s.

The first ship in the class is expected to be named USS Defiant. Navy Secretary John Phelan compared the design to the Iowa-class and said the Defiant “will be the largest, deadliest and most versatile and best-looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans." Trump added that he would take part in shaping the ship’s design. “The US navy will lead the design of these ships along with me because I’m a very aesthetic person," he said.

In the past, Trump has complained about the look of some US ships. “I’m not a fan of some of the ships you do. I’m a very aesthetic person and I don’t like some of the ships you’re doing aesthetically," he had told a gathering at Quantico earlier this year. “They say, ‘Oh, it’s stealth.’ I say that’s not stealth. An ugly ship is not necessary in order to say you’re stealth," he said.

He also said the ships would be built with American steel, assembled by human workers and robotic systems, and serve as “flagships of the US navy." According to Trump, construction would begin immediately, while the Department of War has projected the start of work for the early 2030s. He also said the shipbuilding effort would create thousands of American jobs.

What Weapons And Systems The Ships Are Expected To Carry

Trump outlined a range of systems he said the ships would carry. These include cruise missiles, 30mm guns, ODIN laser systems, hypersonic weapons and the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile, or SLCM-N, currently under development. Trump also said they would operate with “extremely lethal" weapons and serve as command and control platforms managing both crewed and uncrewed systems.

As per a USA Today report, artificial intelligence would play a significant role in the ships’ functions. USNI News estimated the cost of each Trump-class ship at between $10 billion and $15 billion, depending on final systems and size.

Why This Announcement Comes Now

The timing overlaps with concerns about the capacity and condition of the US shipbuilding industrial base. Politico reported that American shipyards have struggled with workforce shortages, fragile supplier networks, ageing infrastructure and production delays. Every US Navy ship currently under construction is at least a year behind schedule. Analysts have warned about the difficulty of keeping pace with demand under these conditions.

There is also the broader context of Chinese naval expansion. AFP reported that the United States has fallen behind China in overall fleet size and referenced a congressional report raising concerns about the pace of Chinese shipbuilding. A CSIS assessment stated that China was operating 234 warships compared with the US Navy’s 219, although the United States retained advantages in certain categories such as guided-missile cruisers and destroyers.

Trump said the new ships were intended as “a counter to everybody" and added, “It’s not China. We get along great with China. It’s just everybody. You don’t know who comes along, but we just wanted peace through strength. Hopefully, we never have to use them, but there will never be anything built like these."

How This Fits Into Other Recent US Navy Plans

Days before the Trump-class announcement, the US Navy revealed plans for a new class of frigates designated FF(X). According to AFP, Phelan said the frigates would be based on an existing design from shipbuilder HII already in use by the US Coast Guard and that the first vessel is expected to enter the water by 2028. The FF(X) is intended to complement the fleet’s larger, multi-mission warships. The programme was announced shortly after four of six planned Constellation-class frigates were cancelled, with two already under construction being placed under review.

What Challenges Have Been Identified So Far

A number of challenges could affect the Trump-class timeline and scale. There is no clear funding for the programme in the current Pentagon budget. Two individuals close to the project told Politico that Trump’s suggested production schedule of two-and-a-half years would be almost impossible to meet because engineering plans have not yet been completed.

Long-term operational demands are another concern. Retired Navy officer Mark Montgomery said the programme would be “a massive life cycle maintenance challenge" because maintaining supply chains, support systems and training for a large number of such ships would place significant pressure on the Navy’s operational budget.

US Representative Joe Courtney described the plan as “vague" and noted that the United States ended battleship construction in 1944 and did not bring it back during President Ronald Reagan’s naval expansion.

Where The Proposal Stands

The Trump-class currently exists as an announced plan that outlines size, weapons, intended production numbers and Trump’s role in design. Construction, according to the Department of War, is projected to begin in the early 2030s. Its progression will depend on budget allocations, engineering development, shipyard capacity and the broader direction of US Navy planning, which already includes new frigate programmes and the review of earlier projects.

News explainers Trump Names New Battleships After Himself: What To Know About The 'Trump-Class'

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