Trump's "Golden Fleet" and "Golden Dome" at Risk of Being Derailed as Budget Cuts Loom

U.S. President Donald Trump's flagship defense projects, the "Golden Fleet" and "Golden Dome," are at risk of being derailed after Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections. The prospect of Democrats controlling both chambers of Congress has increased the likelihood that the projects will be blocked.

On November 9 local time, the U.S. military news outlet The War Zone (TWZ) reported that a Democratic victory in the midterm elections would leave key defense projects of the Trump Administration facing intense congressional budget scrutiny and pressure for cuts, a scenario it had forecast on November 4. It said the Trump-class battleship construction program, a key part of the Golden Fleet, was particularly likely to become a major target for cuts.

The Golden Fleet is a plan to expand the U.S. Navy's capabilities that President Trump announced in December 2025. At its core is a plan to revive battleships, retired after World War II, as nuclear-powered surface combatants equipped with advanced weapons systems. The Trump-class battleships are expected to carry cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles, electromagnetic railguns and high-powered lasers.

The U.S. Navy plans to build at least 15 Trump-class battleships. The first, to be named the USS Defiant, is targeted to enter service in 2036. President Trump previously mentioned the possibility of working with Hanwha, which acquired the Philadelphia shipyard, on the construction of new frigates for the Golden Fleet.

However, the enormous construction costs and the U.S. shipbuilding industry's production capacity are seen as obstacles to the project. In August 2026, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that building 15 Trump-class battleships would cost a total of $275 billion in 2026 dollars.

The first battleship alone would cost $23.4 billion, while the 14 built afterward are expected to cost an average of $18 billion each. Newport News Shipbuilding is the only U.S. shipyard certified to build nuclear-powered surface ships. The shipyard is already behind schedule on aircraft carrier and submarine construction, raising concerns that it may lack the capacity to build new battleships as well.

Democrats are already questioning the Trump-class battleships' military value relative to their cost. In a letter to fellow lawmakers, Democratic Representative Adam Smith, the leading candidate to become the next chair of the House Armed Services Committee, stressed that "we need an appropriate mix of survivable advanced weapons systems and low-cost, expendable forces, not the fleet of nuclear-powered battleships proposed by the president."

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told The War Zone that "the Trump-class battleship is likely to be scrapped for two reasons: it bears Trump's name, and its costs are excessively high while the rationale for pursuing it is weak."

The Golden Dome, a next-generation missile defense system designed to protect the U.S. mainland, is also expected to face pressure for budget cuts. It is a multilayered defense system that uses satellites, radar and other technologies to detect and intercept ballistic missiles and other threats launched toward the United States.

In August 2026, U.S. Space Force General Michael Guetlein, who leads the Golden Dome project, warned that it could be halted if major budget issues were not resolved. With Democrats securing control over congressional budget decisions, the project's scope and approach may also face a comprehensive review.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.