Trump's 'Golden Fleet' warships to cost 50% more than planned

The ambitious "Golden Fleet" naval expansion championed by former U.S. President Donald Trump faces significant cost overruns and feasibility concerns, according to a new analysis. The construction of 15 "Trump-class" warships is now projected to cost approximately $275 billion, a figure more than 50% higher than initially anticipated.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the first vessel, named "Defiance," will cost $23.4 billion to build. This represents an $8 billion increase over the U.S. Navy's original projection for a single ship. Each subsequent vessel is expected to cost around $18 billion. If Trump's full vision of up to 25 ships is realized, the total project cost could soar to $455 billion.

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While our friends in Congress are working to protect you and your children and the American Dream, the radical left is trying to destroy it with the disaster that is communism. We will not let them do that.

A primary driver of the escalating costs is a change in propulsion systems. Trump directed the use of nuclear propulsion instead of the initially planned gas turbine engines, necessitating major redesigns and increasing expenses. Furthermore, the construction timeline is significantly longer than Trump's stated goal. The CBO estimates that building just the first ship will take at least eight years, far exceeding Trump's claim of completing two ships within two and a half years.

Opposition to the "Golden Fleet" is mounting in the U.S. political sphere. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley criticized the plan, stating, "We cannot afford to squander hundreds of billions of dollars on a Golden Fleet when people's livelihoods are already strained by food, gas, and childcare costs." The New York Times notes that the U.S. Navy has a history of struggling to build new vessels on schedule and within budget, casting doubt on whether any "Trump-class" warships will be completed at all.

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We cannot afford to squander hundreds of billions of dollars on a Golden Fleet when people's livelihoods are already strained by food, gas, and childcare costs.