The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Monday the creation of a new class of surface combat vessels for the U.S. Navy, as part of an ambitious naval modernization plan aimed at replacing a fleet he described as “old, tired, and obsolete.”
The announcement was made during an event in Palm Beach, Florida, at the Mar-a-Lago resort, where Trump was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio.
In parallel, the White House highlighted on the social network X that it is "the most lethal surface combat ship ever built," referring to it as "The Battleship."
According to Trump, the new ships will help maintain the military supremacy of the United States, revitalize the national shipbuilding industry, and deter the country's adversaries on the international stage. Although he avoided explicitly mentioning a "Trump class" in his statements, the president presented the project as part of a new "Golden Fleet" for the Navy.
The president assured that he will actively participate in the design of the vessels and emphasized that they will also meet aesthetic criteria, CNN reported.
"The Marina will lead the design alongside me, because I am a very aesthetic person," he stated, reaffirming previous criticisms of the appearance of some current ships, which he considers unattractive despite their supposed stealth technology.
He also announced that the new vessels will be equipped with hypersonic weapons, electromagnetic cannons, cruise missiles, advanced lasers, and systems largely controlled by artificial intelligence, although he did not provide specific technical details. Each ship is expected to have a displacement of between 3,000 and 40,000 tons and will be built entirely in the United States.
Initially, the Navy plans to build two ships, followed by another eight in a later phase. Trump indicated that the ultimate goal would be to have between 20 and 25 vessels, which would become the central focus of the U.S. naval fleet. He also announced plans to modernize the aircraft carriers as part of the same program.
The possibility of the new class being named after the president has generated speculation, as traditionally the first ship of each design names the class. If that convention holds, the first vessel could be named USS Trump, although images displayed at the event featured the name USS Defiant.
The announcement comes in the context of heightened U.S. naval deployment in the Caribbean, as the Trump administration increases pressure on Nicolás Maduro's regime in Venezuela, with actions aimed at limiting its oil revenue.
In recent days, the United States has seized oil tankers in the region. While the Coast Guard has led the operations, the Navy has played a supportive role.
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