Trump's 'Golden Fleet': Can His New Battleship Plan Deter China or Is It a Pipe Dream?

Is the naval arms race entering a new phase? US President Donald Trump has just unveiled a plan for a new class of battleship he claims will be "100 times more powerful" than any before. But analysts say the initiative faces huge hurdles and could simply provoke China to double down on its anti-ship weapons.

The 'Trump-Class' and a 'Golden Fleet'

In an announcement from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday, Trump introduced the so-called "Trump-class" ships, describing them as larger, faster, and more powerful than any vessel previously built. These ships, he said, would form the centerpiece of an expanded "Golden Fleet" designed to cement US naval dominance. Without naming specific countries, Trump declared the new vessels would "inspire fear in America’s enemies all over the world."

A Clear Signal to Beijing

The plan is being widely interpreted as a direct challenge to China. According to Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University, the battleship plan is "completely targeting" China. If realized, Shi said, it would significantly strengthen America’s already advanced naval capabilities and increase its control over the oceans, a clear counter to Beijing's own rapid naval expansion.

A Reality Check on Feasibility

However, skepticism abounds. Liselotte Odgaard, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, called the plan "long-term strategic signalling and industrial base politics." She noted that while a new flagship with hypersonic and nuclear-cruise options would be significant, near-term deterrence in the Indo-Pacific still hinges on existing capabilities. "It still depends on distributed kill webs, littoral denial, and submarine and carrier readiness," Odgaard said, implying that a single, massive new ship—if it ever gets funded and built—won't be a silver bullet.