then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
President Donald Trump has announced a new class of warships named after himself.
The president—flanked by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Navy Secretary John Phelan—made the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday.
“Each one of these will be the largest battleship in the history of our country,” Trump said. “The largest battleship in the history of the world ever built.”
- Donald Trump announced the Trump-class USS Defiant, the largest battleship ever built, equipped with missiles, hypersonic weapons, lasers, and AI control.
- Trump claimed these battleships will be 100 times more powerful than the USS Missouri of 1944 and plans to build up to 25 in American shipyards.
- The ships aim to revive U.S. shipbuilding, maintain military supremacy, and intimidate enemies, emphasizing both power and aesthetic design.
Donald Trump announced new battleships named after him
Image credits: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
The Trump-class USS Defiant will be kitted out with missiles, hypersonic weapons, electric railguns, high-powered lasers and Nuclear-armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missiles.
It will also be “very AI controlled,” Trump said at the press conference.
He further claimed the ships would be “100 times more powerful” than the previous battleship built in the U.S., which was the USS Missouri in 1944.
The president said the plan is for two to be constructed in American shipyards, and ultimately expand those numbers to as many as 25.
TRUMP CLASS BATTLESHIPS ⚓️🇺🇸
President Trump announces Trump Class Battleships, manufactured in the USA, the new class ships will be the fastest, biggest and most lethal ships ever constructed. pic.twitter.com/pWj6IiQEEc
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 22, 2025
“They’ll help maintain American military supremacy, revive the American ship-building industry and inspire fear in America’s enemies all over the world,” Trump said.
“We want respect, we’re going to have it.”
Trump said he will meet with defense contractors next week to discuss the production schedule as he griped about the timeline.
“We make the best equipment in the world but they don’t make them fast enough,” Trump noted.
He added, “The U.S. Navy will lead the design of these ships along with me because I’m a very aesthetic person.”
Image credits: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Phelan repeated Trump’s claims about American strength, and also focused on aesthetics.
“The future Trump-class battleship, the U.S.S. Defiant, will be the largest, deadliest and most versatile and best looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans,” he said.
It is not the first time Trump has brought up aesthetics when discussing ships.
Last month, he claimed that he personally redesigned new Coast Guard ships for aesthetic reasons, because he’s “a looks person.”
The president was speaking about the Sentinel-class cutters, part of the Coast Guard’s ongoing modernization, during a Thanksgiving call when he claimed he had a hand in the design.
Trump sparked outrage after renaming the Kennedy Center
Image credits: White House
“We’ve ordered a lot of Coast Guard cutters, brand new, beautiful, the best machines in the world. The fastest, the best, the best maneuverability,” Trump said.
“I said, ‘How’s the speed and the maneuverability?’ I’m a looks person, I wanted the hull to be perfect, I sort of redesigned the hull a little bit–the hulls–but we ordered a lot.”
The announcement of a new battleship comes after Trump sparked outrage earlier this week for renaming the John F. Kennedy Memorial for the Performing Arts to the Trump-Kennedy Center.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the decision was made after a unanimous board vote, which was immediately disputed by those on the call.
Image credits: White House
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty said that members on the call were muted as soon as they tried to voice opposition to the renaming.
Members of JFK’s family, including his grandson, Jack Schlossberg, who is running as a Democratic candidate for New York’s 12th Congressional District, slammed the move.
Earlier in December, the State Department also added Trump’s name to the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) after he unsuccessfully vied for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Image credits: State Department
“This morning, the State Department renamed the former Institute of Peace to reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation’s history,” the State Department posted on X.
“Welcome to the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. The best is yet to come.”
The X post was accompanied by an image showing Trump’s name on the building.
Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
15
0