Donald Trump (AP image)
US President Donald Trump unveiled plans for a new class of Navy battleships, labeled the “Trump class”. He said the vessels would replace an “old, tired and obsolete” American fleet and help maintain US military supremacy.Making the announcement on Monday from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump said, “They’ll help maintain American military supremacy, revive the American shipbuilding industry, and inspire fear in America’s enemies all over the world.”The decision was made in the presence of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump further added that the battleships would form part of a broader naval modernisation drive called the “Golden Fleet,” aimed at countering China and other adversaries while reviving the US shipbuilding industry. Flanked by artistic renderings of the ships at sea, Trump said he would take an active role in their design along with the US Navy, citing his personal interest in aesthetics. “I’m a very aesthetic person,” he said. “They’ll help maintain American military supremacy, revive the American shipbuilding industry, and inspire fear in America’s enemies all over the world,” he added.According to the president, the new battleships will be the largest ever built, weighing between 30,000 and 40,000 tonnes each and constructed entirely in the United States. He said they would be equipped with advanced weaponry, including hypersonic weapons, electric rail guns, cruise missiles, sophisticated laser systems and what he described as top-tier guns and missiles. Trump also said the ships would be AI-controlled.Initially, the US Navy is expected to build two of the new battleships, followed by eight more. Trump said he ultimately envisioned a fleet of 20 to 25 such vessels, calling them the future “flagship of the American naval fleet.”
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“We envision that these ships will be the first of a whole new class of ships to be produced in the years to come,” he said.Trump added that existing US aircraft carriers would also be upgraded as part of the Golden Fleet initiative.The president has previously criticised the design of some US naval vessels, arguing that functionality should not come at the cost of appearance. Speaking earlier this year at Quantico, he said he disliked the look of certain ships built for stealth purposes.“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 had remarked.Naming a class of warships after Trump could eventually result in an active naval vessel bearing his name, though such a development would likely take years. Traditionally, a ship class is named after the first vessel produced under that design, which would imply the possibility of a USS Trump. However, posters displayed at Monday’s event showed the ship named USS Defiant.The announcement comes amid heightened US naval activity in the Caribbean Sea, where Washington has increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, including efforts to disrupt his country’s oil exports.The US Navy, alongside the Coast Guard, has been involved in a series of interdictions of oil tankers in the region. Earlier this month, two tankers were intercepted off Venezuela’s coast. On Sunday, the Coast Guard said it was in “active pursuit” of the tanker Bella 1 after it refused to comply with US seizure efforts.While the status of that pursuit remained unclear on Monday, US officials said the tanker’s decision to turn away from Venezuela without loading oil was itself considered a success.Last week, the Navy also announced plans to commission a new class of US-built frigates designed to protect sea lanes and support larger vessels. Go to Source