A New Age of Leviathans: Trump Unveils ‘Golden Fleet,’ Promising Naval Dominance
From his Mar-a-Lago estate, President Donald Trump announced a dramatic new vision for American sea power on Monday: a “Golden Fleet” of next-generation battleships, which he hailed as “100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.” Flanked by key cabinet members, Trump declared the urgent need to replace an aging fleet with a new “Trump class” of vessels, beginning with two ships, including the USS Defiant, and scaling up to a planned 25. These colossal ships, displacing 30,000 to 40,000 tons, are designed as heavily armed flagships combining hypersonic missiles, electric railguns, laser systems, and traditional naval guns. Trump framed the fleet not as a direct counter to China—insisting he has “a great relationship with President Xi”—but as a universal deterrent, invoking the principle of “peace through strength” and a return to the rapid production ethos of World War II.
The ambitious announcement is coupled with a stark warning about America’s industrial capacity. Trump tied the fleet’s rollout to a broader push to revitalize U.S. defense production, pledging to confront major contractors next week over slow delivery times and redirect profits from stock buybacks into building new factories. This urgency echoes within his administration, as Navy Secretary John Phelan has insisted the military must “act like we’re at war” to close a staggering shipbuilding gap with China, which boasts roughly 230 times America’s naval construction capacity. While the plan has reignited debates among defense strategists over the vulnerability of large surface ships versus their sheer firepower, it signals a definitive shift in naval doctrine, prioritizing visible, monumental strength and a wholesale revival of the nation’s maritime industrial base.
