“Trump class” battleships will soon prowl the seas to defy America’s foes and protect freedom.
The Navy said that it is constructing “The Most Lethal Warship to Ever Be Built,” according to a news release.
“America’s next battleship, the USS Defiant, will be part of a new class of large surface combatants with the most destructive fire power of any surface ship to ever sail — having the ability to strike an adversary at 80x the range of the previous class,” the release said.
“The Trump-class Battleship will be the first-ever guided missile battleship with the ability to deploy with nuclear and hypersonic missiles.”
Navy’s new class of Large Surface Combatants: THE BATTLESHIP.
The most lethal surface combatant ever constructed. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/7AH5G4IJj5
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 22, 2025
President Donald Trump said he approved building “two brand-new, very large — largest we’ve ever built — battleships, according to CBS, in an effort to eventually build 20 to 25 new ships.
Trump said each battleship “will be the largest battleship in the history of our country, the largest battleship in the history of the world, ever built.”
“There’s never been anything like these ships. These have been under design consideration for a long time. And it started with me in my first term, because I said, ‘Why aren’t we doing battleships like we used to?’” Trump said.
“As you know, we’re desperately in need of ships. Our ships are some of them have gotten old and tired and obsolete,” Trump said, according to Fox News.
“We haven’t built a battleship since 1994. These cutting-edge vessels will be some of the most lethal surface warfare ships … other than our submarines,” Trump said, noting that the first two ships will be completed in two and a half years.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 22, 2025
Trump said the ships would have traditional guns and missiles, and displace between 30,000 tons and 40,000 tons.
The president said the battleships would carry hypersonic missiles, electric rail guns and high-powered laser systems, and nuclear-capable sea-launched cruise missiles, and that they could carry “tremendous numbers of missiles.”
“It’s a counter to everybody. It’s not China, we get along great with China,” Trump said. “I have a great relationship with President Xi and it’s not China. It’s just everybody. You don’t know who comes along but we just wanted peace through strength.”
The U.S. Navy currently has about 294 warships, while China has with more than 370 ships.
“The President has been clear – we must bring back our American maritime industrial might, and he has told me many times that as Secretary of the Navy it is my job to equip our sailors to win the fight at sea with the finest ships in our history,” Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said, according to a news release.
“These new battleships will stand as the centerpiece of the Navy’s Golden Fleet initiative,” the release said.
“At triple the size of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, its massive frame provides superior firepower, larger missile magazines, and the capability to launch Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles and the Surface Launch Cruise Missile-Nuclear.
“The Trump class will be capable of operating in a traditional Integrated Air and Missile Defense role with a Carrier Strike Group or commanding its own Surface Action Group for Surface and Anti-Submarine Warfare efforts in addition to delivering long range hypersonic strategic fires and quarterbacking the operations of an entire fleet as the central command control node.”
BREAKING: Trump announces construction of new US Naval flagships – larger than any other battleships in US history.
The president says they will ‘be the fastest, the biggest, and by far — 100x more powerful than any battleship ever built.’pic.twitter.com/fJZDPGS3Hu
— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) December 22, 2025
“As we forge the future of our Navy’s Fleet, we need a larger surface combatant and the Trump class Battleships meet that requirement,” said Adm. Daryl Caudle, 34th Chief of Naval Operations.
“We will ensure continuous improvement, intellectually honest assessments about the requirement to effectively deter and win in the 2030s and beyond, and disciplined execution resulting in a Fleet unparalleled in lethality, adaptability and strength.”
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