Trump Announces New ‘Trump Class’ of Warships
President Trump announced on Monday the construction of a new “Trump class” of warships that would anchor what he called a “golden fleet” for the U.S. Navy, fulfilling a long-held goal to give a personal makeover to a fleet of ships he described as “old and tired and obsolete.”
The ships will augment the Navy’s more than five dozen Arleigh Burke-class destroyers — 9,000-ton vessels that are currently a mainstay of the Navy fleet but that Mr. Trump has disparaged as failing to compete with the vessels of foreign fleets, according to a Pentagon official speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans for the ships.
In giving the new class of ships his own name, Mr. Trump also continued a self-aggrandizing streak of imprinting his brand on various aspects of the federal government. Just last week, Mr. Trump’s name was added to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the premier performing arts center in Washington. The center’s board of trustees, a majority of which were handpicked by Mr. Trump, voted to rename the institution.
His name was also planted on the U.S. Institute of Peace and he has added the gold décor prominent in his Mar-a-Lago club and residence to the Oval Office.
What does he mean by "golden fleet?" Will these ships have gold crappers?
When they turn off the cameras and the lights go dark don't you think even the most obsequious underlings in trump's government think to themselves, "OMG, you have to be kidding."
Some critics warned the “battleship” and the Navy’s overarching plans for a “Golden Fleet” — upgraded surface combatant ships joining the Navy’s inventory of aircraft carriers and submarines — fell short of what was needed to deter China and other maritime adversaries.
Mark Montgomery, a retired rear admiral and current senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, said the ships were behemoths ill-suited to confront China.
Admiral Montgomery, a former director of operations at U.S. Pacific Command, said the Navy instead needed a dispersed fleet of minimally manned or unmanned ships with large weapons magazines to combat the Chinese threats at sea.
“These ‘battleships’ will achieve none of these tactical goals,” Admiral Montgomery said.
Yeah, but they are named for trump so does their effectiveness really matter? Certainly not to Don.
