Trump-class battleships could cost $275 billion, CBO says

The US Navy's planned fleet of 15 Trump-class battleships could cost $275 billion to build, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.

The CBO estimated that the first nuclear-powered battleship would cost about $23.4 billion in 2026 dollars. Later ships, which would be purchased through 2056, would average $18 billion each, it said.

US President Donald Trump announced plans in December 2025 for the new class of warships to be named after himself. The ships would carry anti-air and land-attack missiles, hypersonic weapons, nuclear cruise missiles, lasers and a railgun, according to the CBO.

The CBO said the Trump-class ships would be substantially larger than existing US destroyers and cruisers, but somewhat smaller in projected displacement than the Iowa-class battleships retired in the 1990s.

For comparison, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier cost about $13.3 billion in 2008 dollars, or more than $20 billion adjusted for inflation, the CBO said.

A report to Congress last year said US military officials and other observers were concerned about the pace of China's shipbuilding efforts and the size of Beijing's navy compared with Washington's.