Donald Trump on Monday announced the upcoming construction of a new class of large warships bearing his name, something highly unusual for a sitting US president.
Future warships — he used the term battleships, referring to a historic type, the last example of which was retired from active service after repeated upgrades in 1992 — will be “the best in the world,” the Republican assured during a news conference in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. He also said that at least two Trump-class warships will be built, the first of which will be called the USS Defiant.
Artistic depictions of the future ships at sea and in action were displayed on easels around the stage. At the same time, Donald Trump gave his name to the new type of boats.
According to the US president, the new class will consist of vessels of “30,000 to 40,000 tons” and their construction is intended to send a message “to the whole world, not just to China. We get along very well with China.”
According to experts, the US maintains superior sea power over China, which is also strengthening and modernizing its navy.
Beijing recently commissioned its third aircraft carrier and the first to be equipped with electromechanical catapults. A fourth is reportedly already under construction, according to persistent rumours.
“They will be the biggest”
The Republican tycoon said the first two examples would take “about two and a half years” to build and that ten more are expected to be built “quickly” for a total of 20 to 25.
Each will be “the largest warship built in the history of our country” and “of the world,” boasted the 79-year-old billionaire, who does not skimp on extravagance.
In the presentation, Mr. Trump referred to the large warships that had operated during World War II, such as the USS Missouri, stressing that they would be built in the United States.
He said they will carry conventional weaponry, such as artillery, and new technology weaponry, such as lasers, hypersonic missiles and missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
He said he meant to be personally involved in their design for “aesthetic” reasons.
The Republican from his first term had taken up the issue of warship construction, particularly criticizing recent vessels designed to have low observability.
He repeated his criticism in September referring to “disgusting” ships.
He had made a series of comments on the issue in front of many senior and senior officers.
Mr. Trump, although he has no experience in the military, specifically the navy, expresses fixed ideas, if not obsessions, about defense technologies.
At the end of October, for example, he was advocating the return of steam catapults to aircraft carriers to retrieve aircraft, instead of the much more modern electromagnetic catapults, arguing that they are easier to maintain and… more spectacular.
Yesterday’s announcement followed the passage by Congress of a defense bill that provides an annual budget of more than $900 billion.
It also came as opposition Democrats were already accusing Donald Trump of appearing to treat his presidency as if it were a monarchy — renaming public buildings in his honor, displaying portraits of him in the White House, and his intention to produce a commemorative $1 coin featuring him.
