U.S. Navy and Golden Fleet Shipbuilding

President Trump on Monday at Mar‑a‑Lago formally unveiled a new "Trump‑class" of warships called the "Golden Fleet," flanked by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan and others, approving procurement of two ships to start and voicing a long‑term goal of roughly 20–25 vessels. The administration says the American‑designed, U.S.‑built guided‑missile "battleships" — the first named USS Defiant and described as about 35,000 tons with crews of 650–850 — will carry hypersonic and cruise missiles, railguns and high‑power lasers (concept art shows missile cells and a helicopter deck); officials have given differing timelines (Phelan cited a 2028 target while other reporting places construction into the early 2030s), and analysts flag U.S. shipbuilding capacity shortfalls, program delays and potential arms‑control issues.