U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce Monday that the Navy will build a new “Trump-class” warship, described by officials as a next-generation battleship and the centerpiece of a proposed “Golden Fleet,” according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal.
The announcement is expected to be made alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan, following recent Navy decisions to reshape the surface fleet amid growing competition with China. Altitude Post reached out to the White House and the U.S. Navy for comment.
Why It Matters
The proposal signals a potential shift in U.S. naval procurement as the Pentagon weighs how to counter China’s expanding navy and protect aircraft carriers in future conflicts.
It also raises questions about cost, operational relevance, and congressional oversight, as analysts cited by the Wall Street Journal warn the plan could prioritize size and appearance over near-term combat effectiveness.
What To Know
A U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal that Trump will announce a new class of large surface combatants—referred to by the president as battleships—that would exceed the size of the Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and anchor the proposed Golden Fleet. The first ship in the class is expected to be named USS Defiant.
According to officials familiar with the planning cited by the Journal, the ships would displace roughly 30,000 tons and are being designed to accommodate future weapons such as electromagnetic rail guns and directed-energy lasers. The Navy plans to open a competitive bidding process and aims to procure the first hull around 2030.
The proposal follows the Navy’s recent decision to commission a new frigate based on the Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter after canceling the delayed Constellation-class frigate program, according to prior Wall Street Journal reporting.
Explicit caveat: Although the ships are being described as battleships, officials told the Journal they will not resemble the heavily armored, gun-focused vessels of the 20th century. The information released so far does not establish final weapons configurations, total program costs, or whether Congress will approve funding.
What People Are Saying
Mark Montgomery, a former rear admiral and senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Wall Street Journal: “We do not need ships that are not optimized to provide lethality against the Chinese threat,” estimating each ship could cost at least $5 billion.
Montgomery also criticized the administration’s broader fleet plan, saying the new frigate design would have “zero tactical use” if it lacks advanced missile-launch systems, according to the Journal.
Bryan Clark, a naval analyst at the Hudson Institute, said modern naval warfare requires larger ships capable of carrying long-range and hypersonic weapons to defend aircraft carriers. “You need something like two-to-three times the size of an [Arleigh Burke-class destroyer],” Clark said.
What Happens Next
Trump is expected to formally unveil the proposal during a White House event Monday afternoon. Any new ship class would still require congressional authorization and funding and must proceed through the Navy’s formal acquisition process before construction can begin.
