Trump Approves Massive New Battleships ‘100 Times More Powerful’ Than Previous Ships [WATCH]

President Donald Trump announced plans Monday for a brand-new fleet of warships dubbed the “Golden Fleet,” revealing that he has approved two new “very large battleships” — the first of their kind in decades.

“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, standing alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Navy Secretary John Phelan.

Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said the new vessels would be “100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.”

Renderings displayed behind the president showed the new “Trump class” ships, including one named the USS Defiant.

“We haven’t built a battleship since 1994,” Trump said. “These cutting-edge vessels will be some of the most lethal surface warfare ships … other than our submarines.”

Trump said the Navy would immediately begin procuring two ships, with plans to expand the fleet to 10 ships and eventually 20 to 25 total, aiming to have the first two operational within two and a half years.

According to the president, the new battleships will combine heavy missile loads with traditional naval guns, arguing that gun-based firepower can deliver 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 of the U.S. fleet.

Trump said the vessels would be equipped with advanced weapons systems, including hypersonic missiles, electric rail guns, and high-powered laser systems, along with nuclear-capable sea-launched cruise missiles currently under development. He added that the ships would feature state-of-the-art defensive systems and carry what he described as “tremendous numbers of missiles.”

Watch the announcement below:

President Trump announced a new “Golden Fleet” of U.S. Navy battleships: “Each one of these will be the largest battleship in the history of our country.” pic.twitter.com/T9O2ncE8Nr

— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 23, 2025