US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubion is seen behind him on the collected photo

PALM BEACH, United States, Dec 23, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump 
on Monday announced a new class of heavily armed warships that will be named 
after himself -- an honor usually reserved for leaders who have left office.

Two of the Trump-class ships will be built initially, but that number could 
grow substantially, according to the president, who said they will be "some 
of the most lethal surface warfare ships" and "the largest battleship in the 
history of our country."

Trump made the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida alongside 
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Navy 
Secretary John Phelan, with images of the planned high-tech vessels on stands 
nearby.

Asked if the planned warships are a counter to Washington's rival Beijing, 
Trump declined to specify, instead saying: "It's a counter to everybody, it's 
not China. We get along great with China."

He said the ships will weigh between 30,000 and 40,000 tons and will be armed 
with missiles and guns as well as weaponry still in development, such as 
lasers and hypersonic missiles.

They will also be capable of carrying atomic weapons in the form of the 
nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile, Trump said.

The Trump-class ships will be substantially larger than existing US 
destroyers and cruisers, but the projected displacement cited by the 
president is somewhat smaller than the last American battleships -- from the 
Iowa class -- which were retired in the 1990s.

- 'Most powerful fleet anywhere' -

Trump -- who has complained in the past about the appearance of US ships -- 
said he would be involved in the design along with the Navy "because I'm a 
very aesthetic person."

Trump's announcement came just days after the Navy publicized plans for 
another new class of ships -- frigates dubbed the FF(X) that it said will 
"complement the fleet's larger, multi-mission warships."

Phelan has said the FF(X) will be based on an existing design from 
shipbuilder HII that is already in use by the United States Coast Guard, and 
that the aim is for the first of the new frigates to be in the water by 2028.

The new frigate plans were announced after Phelan said in late November that 
four of six planned ships from the Constellation class of frigates would be 
canceled, while two that are already under construction are "under review."

Washington has fallen significantly behind Beijing when it comes to the 
number of ships in its Navy, and a report to Congress earlier this year noted 
that US military officials and other observers are concerned by the pace of 
China's shipbuilding efforts.

"We're going to restore America as a major shipbuilding power," Trump said on 
Monday, adding: "We're going to ensure the USA has the most powerful fleet 
anywhere in the world, and long into the future, with battleships helping 
lead the way."