Trump announces new battleship, part of class named after himself

US President Donald Trump unveiled a new battleship, the USS Defiant, as part of the newly launched "Trump-class" of battleships in an effort to strengthen and expand the US Navy fleet.

“These are the best in the world. They'll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," the US leader said during the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

US Navy Secretary John Phelan compared the ship to the former USS Iowa, the lead battleship used by the US in World War II, which was decommissioned in the 1990s.

The new vessels, expected to weigh half as much as the USS Iowa, will be equipped with hypersonic missiles, nuclear cruise missiles, rail guns, and high-powered lasers, technologies that are at various stages of development by the Navy, with mixed results.

The Navy has already spent more than 15 years trying to field a railgun aboard a ship, but abandoned the effort in 2021 after investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the project. While laser technology has proven more successful, its employment remains limited.

Trump, who said the Navy is in “desperate need” of the vessels, announced the launch of the first two ships and said the aim is to eventually expand the fleet to about 20 to 25 vessels. The ships will weigh between 30,000 and 40,000 tonnes.

"We're calling it the Golden Fleet that we're building for the United States Navy. As you know, we're desperately in need of ships ... Some of them have gotten old and tired and obsolete and we're going to go the exact opposite direction," Trump said.

Trump warns Maduro against playing 'tough'

The US president also reiterated his warning to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, suggesting he is ready to further escalate Washington's pressure campaign against the Venezuelan government.

"If he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’ll ever be able to play tough," Trump said, surrounded by his top national security aides, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.

Trump's campaign against Caracas started with the goal to curb the flow of illegal drugs from Venezuela into the US, but has in the meantime developed into something more amorphous.

The warning comes as the US Coast Guard continues its efforts to pursue a third oil tanker in less than two weeks' time. The Trump administration described the vessel as part of Venezuela's shadow fleet used to evade sanctions.

The vessel, sailing in international waters near Venezuela, was reportedly operating under a false flag and was subject to a judicial seizure order, according to an official briefed on the operation.

On Sunday, Maduro denounced on Telegram the "campaign of aggression that goes from psychological terrorism to corsairs attacking oil tankers."

“We are ready to accelerate the pace of our deep revolution," Maduro added.

The US seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker, the Centuries, on Saturday and a sanctioned tanker, the Skipper, on 10 December.

When asked by a reporter what the US plans to do with the oil on board the Skipper, Trump said the country intends to keep it.

"We are gonna keep it. Maybe we'll sell it, maybe we'll keep it. Maybe we will use it in strategic reserves. We're keeping it. We're keeping the ships also," Trump stated.

Last week, Washington announced a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the country, demanding the return of assets seized from US oil companies years ago.