In his second and last term as President of the United States, Donald Trump appears to be working to leave behind a rich legacy, particularly in the military domain.
After awarding the contract for the sixth-generation fighter jet F-47 in March, he has now launched a massive battleship project that has drawn global attention due to the rarity of naming a vessel after a sitting President.
The US President Donald Trump awarded Boeing the contract for the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) aircraft, christened the F-47, in March 2025. The decision ended months of uncertainty and set into motion the development of the most advanced fighter jet of the US Air Force (USAF) built to date.
The USAF later disclosed that the name was inspired by an iconic World War II aircraft, the P-47 “Thunderbolt.” However, some analysts and commentators have repeatedly suggested that the F-47 designation also symbolically honours Trump as the 47th president.
Trump has also highlighted the name of the next-generation fighter. “Nothing in the world comes even close to it,” Trump said at the time of the unveiling. “It’ll be known as the F-47. The generals picked the title. It’s a beautiful number.” Moreover, the fact that the US President wants the aircraft to fly by the end of his term in 2029 underscores the priority he accords to the military programs he sanctions.
Similarly, on December 22, 2025, President Trump announced plans for the new “Trump-class” large surface combatants for the US Navy.
He was at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, flanked by key officials including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when he made the announcement.
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
This marks the first time a US Navy ship class is being named after a sitting president.
“From [President] Theodore Roosevelt, [and] the Great White Fleet … to the legendary [Iowa class] USS Missouri, whose massive guns helped win World War II, America’s battleships have always been unmistakable symbols of national power,” Trump said.
The Trump class “will be the flagships of the American naval fleet, and there has never been anything built like them,” the President added.
Trump emphasised that these warships would be “the largest, deadliest, most versatile, and best-looking warship” ever, with him personally involved in the design due to his “aesthetic” preferences.
Meanwhile, the US Navy officials referred to these warships as successors to historical battleships. They emphasised that they would focus on “reaching out and killing the archers” rather than just defending.
The announcement comes amid cost overruns and delays on multiple naval projects. In fact, the US recently truncated the delayed Constellation-class frigate program. This is why several analysts have warned that the development of this mammoth ship could also eventually meet the same fate unless some radical changes are made.
However, the President has repeatedly criticised past delays and cost overruns in Navy programs and emphasised building ships “very fast, very soon” with domestic production. The push apparently seeks to address the gap between the US and Chinese shipbuilding, with Beijing dominating global output.
“The President has been clear – we must bring back our American Maritime Industrial might, and he has told me many times that as Secretary of the Navy, it is my job to equip our sailors to win the fight at sea with the finest ships in our history. Now, when a conflict arises, you’re going to ask us two questions: where is the carrier, and where is the battleship?” US Navy chief John C. Phelan said in a statement.
Donald Trump has been particularly interested in expanding naval shipbuilding. He spoke passionately about reviving American shipbuilding during his three-country Asia Tour in November 2025.
“We’re not really building ships, and we’re going to start, and we’re going to have a very thriving shipbuilding industry,” he told executives in South Korea.
Earlier in 2025, Trump issued orders to “restore America’s maritime dominance,” including incentives for domestic shipbuilding, workforce training, and infrastructure investments. This includes a new Office of Shipbuilding and tax incentives to boost private investment.
Interestingly, in late October 2025, Trump said he planned to sign an executive order that would compel the US Navy to use steam-powered catapults and hydraulic elevators on new aircraft carriers instead of the EMALS (the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) catapults. The statement lacked rationale, much like many such comments and observations made by the US President.
This triggered a meme-fest on social media, with images of a gold-plated battleship resembling the White House posted on X to mock the affluence of the US President. Some experts mocked this as prioritising appearance over combat effectiveness.
Some observers also argued against the development of large battleships in this age of combat dominated by unmanned systems, emphasising autonomy.
Meanwhile, Chief of Naval Operations Daryl Caudle said, ”Recent operations from the Red Sea to the Caribbean make the requirement undeniable – our small surface combatant inventory is a third of what we have.” “We need more capable blue water small combatants to close the gap and keep our [destroyers] focused on the high-end fight,” he added.
In the past, the Navy has frequently come under fire for naming ships after living people. Several observers expressed disappointment at naming the ship after Trump, calling it a “vanity project” or “self-aggrandisement.”
Meanwhile, others pointed out an obvious exception: the first ship of the Trump-class will be named USS Defiant and will not bear the name of that class.
What Is The Trump-class battleship?
The Trump-class battleships will have a displacement of 30,000-40,000 tons, significantly larger than that of current destroyers or cruisers. This is at least three times the size of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, which is currently the mainstay of the US Navy.
In fact, this futuristic battleship will surpass the largest surface combatants currently in service, including the biggest nuclear-powered battlecruiser of the Russian Navy’s Kirov class.
The ship will be about 840 to 880 feet long and will reach more than 30 knots. It will accommodate a crew of about 650 to 850, and the class size is expected to be 20-25 ships. The primary missions of this massive ship are: power projection, offensive strike operations, and integrated missile defence.
The flagship, the USS Defiant, is depicted with at least 100 VLS cells, massive SPY-6 radar arrays, and lasers firing at targets out of view on a historically large hull. This ship will be armed with lethal munitions such as hypersonic missiles, nuclear-capable sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCM-N), electromagnetic rail guns, high-powered lasers, and advanced guns.
Three large Vertical Launch System (VLS) arrays—two at the bow end and one at the stern—were seen in the renderings on display at the Mar-a-Lago event. The ship was seen shooting what appeared to be an IRCPS (Intermediate Range Conventional Prompt Strike) missile—the naval variant of the US Army’s Dark Eagle hypersonic missile, a Tomahawk cruise missile, and a Standard Missile in one of the renderings.
Additionally, several conventional cannons and multiple turreted 5-inch naval guns are also seen in the rendering.
At least four Block III SEWIP electronic attack systems are visible, all incorporated into the superstructure and designed to deceive and attack approaching missiles.
Trump-class ships will be heavily armed, but they will also serve as command and control platforms, managing both crewed and uncrewed platforms. The President said the design would have unspecified Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven features. Additionally, the Trump class will be a part of a high-low naval force mix along with new fleets of unmanned vessels and the upcoming FF(X).
Trump indicated that the ships will be built in shipyards in the United States. He also hinted at the potential role of yards located in the United States but controlled by foreigners.
President Trump and Secretary of the Navy Phelan declared the class as future flagships of the US Navy.
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