President Donald Trump on Monday announced plans for a dramatic expansion of U.S. naval power, unveiling what he called a new “Golden Fleet” and approving the construction of two massive, next-generation battleships designed to restore American maritime dominance.
Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said the United States has fallen dangerously behind in shipbuilding and needs to move fast. Flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Navy Secretary John Phelan, the president warned that much of the current fleet is aging and no longer sufficient for modern threats.
“As you know, we’re desperately in need of ships,” Trump said. “Our ships — some of them have gotten old and tired and obsolete.”
Trump said the newly approved vessels, part of what he described as a new “Trump class,” would be unlike anything previously built. Renderings displayed behind him included one ship named the USS Defiant. According to the president, the new battleships would be “100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.”
“We haven’t built a battleship since 1994,” Trump said, calling the new vessels “cutting-edge” and among the most lethal surface warfare ships ever deployed, aside from submarines.
The president said the Navy will immediately begin procurement of two ships, with plans to eventually expand the fleet to between 20 and 25 vessels. He set an ambitious timeline, saying the first two ships should be delivered within two and a half years.
Trump described the battleships as heavily armed platforms combining modern missile systems with traditional naval guns. He argued that gun-based firepower can deliver devastating combat effects at a fraction of the cost of missiles. Each ship would displace between 30,000 and 40,000 tons and serve as a flagship for the U.S. fleet.
The ships would feature advanced weapons, including hypersonic missiles, electric rail guns, high-powered laser systems, and nuclear-capable sea-launched cruise missiles currently under development. Trump said they would also carry “tremendous numbers of missiles” and be protected by state-of-the-art defensive systems.
Trump rejected the idea that the new fleet is aimed specifically at China. “It’s a counter to everybody,” he said. “It’s not China. We get along great with China. I have a great relationship with President Xi. It’s just everybody you don’t know who comes along. We want peace through strength.”
The announcement comes amid an ongoing debate within defense circles over the future shape of the Navy. While recent strategies have emphasized submarines, unmanned systems, and dispersed forces, Trump pointed to World War II-era shipbuilding as proof that America can build big and build fast when it chooses to.
He tied the battleship initiative to a broader push to overhaul defense production. Trump said he plans to meet next week with major defense contractors to demand faster delivery schedules, greater investment in new factories, and limits on stock buybacks and executive compensation.
“We make the best equipment in the world, but they don’t make it fast enough,” Trump said, arguing companies should reinvest profits into production capacity rather than dividends.
The move aligns with the administration’s elevation of shipbuilding to a White House–level priority, including the creation of a dedicated office overseeing maritime industrial policy. Trump has repeatedly warned that America’s shipbuilding base has eroded due to workforce shortages, fragile supply chains, and years of delays.
In April, Trump signed an executive order declaring the decline of U.S. shipbuilding and maritime labor a national security risk. The order directed a government-wide overhaul to expand domestic production, stabilize funding, rebuild the workforce, and counter China’s dominance in global shipbuilding.
Administration officials have warned that the United States faces a growing capacity gap, noting that China now operates the world’s largest navy by ship count, while the U.S. fleet stands at roughly 294 warships. Trump said the Golden Fleet is about reversing that trend and restoring unquestioned American strength at sea.
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