Try GOLD - Free
Trump announces naval 'Golden Fleet'
Los Angeles Times
|December 24, 2025
President says plans for new warship are part of larger vision to make 'biggest' vessels.
PRESIDENT Trump said he'll help design the ship because he is "very aesthetic."
(ALEX BRANDON Associated Press)
President Trump has announced a bold plan for the Navy to build a new, large warship that he is calling a "battleship" as part of a larger vision to create a "Golden Fleet.
"They'll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," Trump claimed during the announcement at his Mara-Lago resort in Florida.
According to Trump, the ship, the first of which will be named the USS Defiant, will be longer and larger than the World War II-era Iowa-class battleships and will be armed with hypersonic missiles, nuclear cruise missiles, rail guns and high-powered lasers - all technologies that are in various stages of development by the Navy.
The announcement comes just a month after the Navy scrapped its plans to build a new, small warship, citing growing delays and cost overruns, deciding instead to go with a modified version of a Coast Guard cutter that was being produced until recently. The sea service has also failed to build its other newly designed ships, like the new Ford-class aircraft carrier and Columbia-class submarines, on time and on budget.
Meanwhile the Navy has struggled to field some of the technologies Trump says will be aboard the new ship.
This story is from the December 24, 2025 edition of Los Angeles Times.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Kim is in limbo after ‘silliest fall’
American snowboarding star Chloe Kim said Thursday that she took “the silliest fall” in training and dislocated her shoulder, threatening her chance to win a third straight gold medal at next month's Winter Olympics in Italy.
1 min
January 09, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Hall of Fame goaltender, ironman Hall dies at 94
Glenn Hall, a Hockey Hall of Famer whose ironman streak of 502 starts as a goaltender remains an NHL record, has died.
1 min
January 09, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Mexico’s leader touts sharp drop in homicides
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum unveiled new data on Thursday showing daily homicides have dropped 40% nationwide since she took office, a major reduction that she has highlighted in part to show the Trump administration that Mexico is making gains in its fight against organized crime.
2 mins
January 09, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Maryland Democrat Hoyer says he'll retire at end of term
Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the longest-serving Democrat in Congress and once a rival to become House speaker, announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of his term.
2 mins
January 09, 2026
Los Angeles Times
U.S. withholds funds from state over truckers' licenses
California had extended a deadline for immigrant drivers
2 mins
January 09, 2026
Los Angeles Times
On Skid Row, GOP candidate faults Democrats
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, one of the top Republican candidates running for California governor, met a woman sprawled on the sidewalk as he walked around Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.
4 mins
January 09, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Clippers cooled off by the Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, Il rebounds and a season-high seven assists, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and the New York Knicks ended their four-game losing streak with a 123-111 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night.
1 min
January 09, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Bulgarian diplomat to head peace board in Gaza
The appointment, announced by Israel, is a key step forward for the U.S. plan.
4 mins
January 09, 2026
Los Angeles Times
Five favorites emerge in the race
DGA delivers its nods for feature films, a key Oscar predictor. Who will reign 'Supreme'?
2 mins
January 09, 2026
Los Angeles Times
House bucks speaker, votes to extend healthcare subsidies
In a remarkable rebuke of Republican leadership, the House passed legislation Thursday, in a 230-196 vote, that would extend expired healthcare subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act as renegade GOP lawmakers joined essentially all Democrats in voting for the measure.
3 mins
January 09, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size