WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday that the U.S. Navy will build two new "Trump-class" warships, which he has claimed will be "the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built."

At a press conference along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, Trump said he has approved a plan for the Navy to start building two of the largest battleships the United States has ever built, and eight more will be built soon after, and eventually there will be a total of 20 to 25 new battleships.

Trump said that these warships would have a displacement of 30,000 to 40,000 tons, be equipped with hypersonic weapons, railguns, cruise missiles and laser weapons, and would become the flagship of the U.S. Navy fleet.

Phelan said that the "Trump-class battleship" would become the largest, most lethal, most fully functional and most aesthetically pleasing battleship in the world.

The U.S. Department of Defense issued a statement on the same day, saying that the new type of warship is currently in the design stage, with the goal of completing the first warship in the early 2030s. ■