US President Donald Trump has announced plans to commission a new series of heavily armed Navy battleships as part of what he has called a revamped “Golden Fleet.” The proposed warships will reportedly be named after Trump himself and are intended to play a central role in a broader expansion of the United States Navy.

The announcement was made on Monday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida. Standing alongside Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, the president said he had approved the construction of two new battleships to begin with. He announced the plans to eventually build 25 such vessels.

Trump said construction on the first ship, the Trump-class USS Defiant, is expected to begin soon. According to him, the first vessels could become operational within two-and-a-half years. During the event, Trump was flanked by large posters displaying renderings of the Trump-class battleships.

Describing the ships, Trump said they would be unlike any vessels built before. He claimed they would be the fastest and biggest battleships ever constructed and said they would be “100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.” He added that once completed, the ships would be equipped with hypersonic weapons and other systems he described as “extremely lethal.” Trump said these vessels would serve as the flagships of the US Navy.

The president also stressed that the ships would be built domestically. He said this would create thousands of jobs and help strengthen the US shipbuilding industry. Trump has repeatedly spoken about reviving American manufacturing, and shipbuilding has become a key focus of his defence plans since his return to office in January.

The Golden Fleet initiative is part of a larger naval expansion plan. Trump said the Navy would expand both manned and unmanned vessels. This includes larger missile-armed warships as well as smaller ships designed for support and transport roles. According to Trump, the goal is to significantly expand the size and strength of the Navy in a short period of time.

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Navy Secretary John Phelan said that Trump had specifically asked for a “big, beautiful” battleship-type vessel to be part of the fleet. Phelan said the Golden Fleet would also include dozens of additional vessels to support operations at sea.

Earlier this month, on December 19, the US Navy announced another set of new ships. These vessels are based on the US Coast Guard’s Legend-class National Security Cutter. The announcement came as senior naval officials raised concerns about shortages in smaller surface combatant ships.

Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle spoke about the issue in a video statement. He said that recent operations, including missions in the Red Sea and the Caribbean, have made the Navy’s needs clear. According to Caudle, the current inventory of small surface combatants is only about one-third of what is required.

Caudle explained that having more capable small combatant ships would help close this gap. He said this would allow larger destroyers to remain focused on high-end combat missions rather than being stretched across multiple roles. He also referred to past challenges in shipbuilding programmes.

One such programme was the Constellation-class frigate, which Trump had approved during his first term as president. That project was cancelled in 2024 after facing repeated delays and cost overruns. Reports indicated that only two ships were expected to be delivered, even though approximately $2 billion had already been spent on the programme.

US officials and defence analysts have repeatedly warned that the United States is falling behind China in shipbuilding capacity. More than 60 per cent of the world’s shipbuilding orders this year reportedly went to Chinese shipyards. China’s navy is already considered the largest in the world in terms of total output.

Trump has frequently pointed to this gap as a reason for expanding the US Navy. Since returning to the office, he has said restoring shipbuilding capacity is a priority. In March, he said the US once built a large number of ships, but no longer does so at the same level. He promised that ship production would increase quickly and said the effort would have a major impact on the country.

In October, Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb signed an agreement for the United States to purchase 11 Finnish-designed icebreakers. Under the deal, seven of those vessels are expected to be built in the US with Finnish expertise. The agreement was presented as another step toward strengthening domestic shipbuilding capabilities.

The announcement of the Golden Fleet also comes amid increased US naval and air activity in the Caribbean. Tensions have been rising with Venezuela, and American forces have surged into the region.

Since September, the US has been carrying out attacks on vessels that were alleged to be transporting drugs. These strikes have reportedly left at least 100 people dead. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump claimed that the boat strikes had saved thousands of American lives by stopping lethal drugs from entering the country.

However, some experts have criticised these operations. They have warned that the attacks could violate international laws governing armed conflict, raising concerns about the legal and humanitarian implications of the strikes.

Trump’s announcement of the Golden Fleet highlights his administration’s emphasis on military expansion, domestic manufacturing, and naval strength. It also reflects ongoing concerns within the US government about global competition, particularly with China, and the need to modernise and expand the Navy to meet current and future challenges.