Trump Claims U.S. Building 10 Battleships, Cites Inflated Military Spending Figures at Shield of Americas Summit

At the Shield of the Americas Summit on March 7, 2026, President Trump claimed the United States is building 10 battleships, stating 'we're building a thing called a battleship like in the old days.' He also asserted he rebuilt the military with 'over a trillion dollars' and now 'a trillion and a half dollars' in spending. These claims represent significant exaggerations: the U.S. Navy has not built battleships since World War II (last commissioned 1944) and currently has no battleship construction programs. The actual defense budget increases during Trump's first term (2017-2021) totaled approximately $140 billion above 2016 levels, far below the claimed figures. Trump had previously announced a 'Trump-class' battleship concept in December 2025, claiming they would be '100 times more powerful' than previous ships, though this was a proposal rather than an active construction program. Naval experts have noted the U.S. shipbuilding sector remains limited, making such ambitious claims...

"We're building a thing called a battleship like in the old days remember we're actually building 10 of them... over a trillion dollars and now a trillion and a half dollars on rebuilding the military." — Remarks at the Shield of the Americas Summit, March 7, 2026