Trump says he will co-lead the design of his new class of warships with the Navy, ‘because I’m a very aesthetic person’
President Donald Trump has unveiled an ambitious plan for the Navy to construct a new, sizable warship—one he refers to as a “battleship”—as part of a broader goal to establish a “Golden Fleet.”
“These vessels will be the fastest, largest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever constructed,” Trump asserted during the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Per Trump, the ship will be longer and more massive than the World War II-era Iowa-class battleships, equipped with hypersonic missiles, rail guns, and high-powered lasers—all technologies the Navy is still developing.
Only a month prior, the Navy abandoned its plans to build a new small warship, citing mounting delays and cost overruns; instead, it opted for a modified version of a Coast Guard cutter that was in production until recently. The naval service has also failed to deliver other newly designed ships—like the Ford-class aircraft carrier and Columbia-class submarines—on time and within budget.
Historically, the term “battleship” has denoted a highly specific type of vessel: a large, heavily armored ship armed with enormous guns designed to bombard enemy ships or coastal targets. This ship type reached the peak of its prominence during World War II, with the largest U.S. battleships—the Iowa-class—weighing roughly 60,000 tons.
After World War II, the battleship’s role in modern fleets declined rapidly as aircraft carriers and long-range missiles took precedence. The U.S. Navy modernized four Iowa-class battleships in the 1980s by adding cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and modern radars, but all four were decommissioned by the 1990s.
Trump has long held firm views on particular aspects of the Navy’s fleet, at times favoring older technologies over modernization.
During his first term, he unsuccessfully pushed for a return to steam-powered catapults to launch jets from the Navy’s newest aircraft carriers, rather than the more advanced electromagnetic system.
He has also complained to Phelan about the appearance of the Navy’s destroyers and criticized rust-covered Navy ships.
Phelan told senators at his confirmation hearing that Trump “has texted me numerous times very late at night, sometimes after 1 a.m.” about “rusty ships or vessels in a yard, asking what I’m doing about it.”
During a 2020 visit to a shipyard working on the now-canceled Constellation-class frigate, Trump said he personally altered the ship’s design.
“I looked at it and said, ‘That’s an ugly ship—let’s make it beautiful,’” Trump remarked at the time.
On Monday, he stated he will also have a direct role in designing this new warship.
“The U.S. Navy will lead the design of these ships alongside me, because I’m a very aesthetic person,” Trump said.