PALM BEACH, Fla. (NewsNation — President Donald Trump announced plans Monday to build a new class of battleships dubbed the “Golden Fleet,” unveiling what he called the most powerful warships in history during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Trump said the Navy would begin by constructing two battleships of the proposed “Trump-class,” with plans to build up to 25 vessels in the future. Standing before posters displaying the USS Defiant, Trump described the ships as “100% more powerful” than any battleships built before.
“Each one of these will be the largest battleship built in the history of the world,” Trump said. “There has never been anything built like them.”
The president said the vessels would be equipped with hypersonic weapons, state-of-the-art rail guns, advanced laser systems and cruise missiles. Trump added that the U.S. Navy would lead the design process, along with his involvement.
Vessels to feature hypersonic weapons, rail guns, advanced lasers
President Donald Trump speaks, with from left, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan,at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 
President Donald Trump arrives to speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 
The announcement comes as the U.S. Coast Guard has stepped up efforts to interdict oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea as part of the administration’s escalating pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government. Trump recently announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
Trump was joined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan for the announcement. Hegseth described the Golden Fleet as “a generational commitment to fleet power.”
The president also disclosed that 15 submarines are currently under construction and said the U.S. is building three large aircraft carriers. He claimed American naval technology is “at least 15 years ahead of any other competitor.”
Trump to meet with defense contractors about production schedules
Trump said he would meet next week with defense contractor executives to discuss production schedules, criticizing the companies for not manufacturing military equipment quickly enough and paying executives excessive salaries.
“We make the best equipment in the world, but we don’t make it fast enough,” Trump said. He added that he would discourage stock buybacks, urging companies to invest instead in “plant and equipment.”
The announcement comes during Trump’s vacation at Mar-a-Lago and amid ongoing “Operation Southern Spear,” the administration’s military campaign targeting drug trafficking. At least 100 people have been killed as part of that operation, according to reports.
The U.S. has not built a battleship since 1944, with the last Iowa-class battleship, USS Missouri, completed during World War II. The Navy decommissioned its final battleships in the 1990s.
NewsNation partner The Hill and The Associated Press contributed to this report