U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new battleship for the U.S. Navy fleet, USS Defiant. This will be one of the Trump-class battleships that will be bigger and faster than ever. In an effort to strengthen the U.S. Navy, these ships will be massive compared to previous models.
Donald Trump said, “These are the best in the world. They’ll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” he said at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were standing next to him.
Trump announced a new class of Navy ships that he is describing as “battleships.” He said he expects two Trump-class battleships at 5 billion 😳 each to be built immediately. It’s the latest example of Trump rebranding or remaking an aspect of the government in his own image. pic.twitter.com/A1kNPs9lui
— Kool Karyn 😎 Resister Since Day One 💙 (@koolkaryn) December 22, 2025
The new battleships will weigh less but will be far more potent than the USS Iowa. They are expected to weigh anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 tons. U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan said these ships can be compared to the former World War II decommissioned battleships.
There will be nuclear cruise missiles, lasers, hypersonic missiles and railguns in the USS Defiant. The Navy is developing new technology to accommodate these features in the Trump-class battleships.
Donald Trump added that the U.S. Navy has a “desperate need” for these vessels. So far, the department has spent millions of dollars to get a railgun aboard, wasting 15 years on the project, only to abandon it later.
However, the new laser tech is promising for the project. Trump’s “Golden Fleet” will have two ships launched at first and then expand to 20-25 vessels. According to Trump, the old vessels have become obsolete, and there is a need to build advanced ones.
Trump announces he has approved a plan to construct battleships while standing next to some renderings with of the Trump Class warships: They will be the fastest, the biggest, and by far, 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built…. They’re longer by a little bit pic.twitter.com/sUYEAoWZ5h
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 22, 2025
People reacted to the rebranding of the battleship with Donald Trump’s name. One user joked that it will be made of gold since the president is obsessed with gold decor for the White House.
Another one pointed out the massive size can be an issue, “Can’t even articulate what he approved nor why except they are bigger (a little bit) than the biggest of the last class of battleships. Remember Gen. Mitchell in 1921-23, and Pearl Harbor ’41, Yamato sinking ‘45 showed vulnerability of Battleships.”
The third one posted, “Trump’s new ‘Trump Class’ battleships: now longer, faster, and 100x stronger… because apparently naval engineering works like real estate.”
Meanwhile, Trump also warned Nicolás Maduro, “If he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’ll ever be able to play tough.” He added that he will be forced to raise a campaign against the Venezuelan government over the incoming illegal drugs to the U.S.
