Trump wants new $22B carriers to look like WWII warships — so the Navy is redrawing the plans

The US Navy is weighing changes to the exterior design of its newest aircraft carriers to suit the aesthetic preferences of President Donald Trump.

Citing seven current and former US officials, the Washington Post reported Saturday that the Navy is assessing the feasibility of moving the multi-tiered island structure of its latest Ford-class carriers toward the center of the hull — a change that would give the ships the appearance of World War II-era carriers.

The officials told the Washington Post that the design review was prompted by Trump raising objections to the "look" of the Ford-class ships. What the president wants, they said, is a carrier that resembles those operated during World War II.

The island on the Gerald R. Ford sits toward the stern — a deliberate design choice to free up deck space near the catapults, reduce aircraft launch times and minimize turbulence during landings to improve safety.

One former senior official said the Navy conducted the same review during Trump's first term and concluded that "the cost and time to do this would be beyond imagination."

This is not the first time Trump has intervened in the design of new carriers.

In a national security memorandum signed Thursday, Trump directed Defense Minister Pete Hegseth to submit a plan within 60 days to replace the electromagnetic aircraft launch system, known as EMALS, on the Doris Miller (CVN-81) with a steam-powered catapult.

The Doris Miller is the fourth Ford-class carrier and is currently under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding.

General Atomics, the manufacturer of EMALS, said in a statement to the naval affairs outlet USNI News that "the decision not to proceed with EMALS requires careful reconsideration," adding that reversing course with production nearly 50 percent complete "introduces significant cost, schedule and integration risk."

Switching back to steam also raises industrial base concerns. The last carrier fitted with steam catapults was the George H.W. Bush, the final Nimitz-class ship, which entered service in 2009. Bryan Clark, a former Navy officer at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, said the Navy has not purchased new steam catapults in more than 20 years.

The Ford class was developed to replace the Nimitz class, which had been the Navy's workhorse since the late 1960s. Under the latest shipbuilding plans from the Navy and the Congressional Budget Office, up to 10 Ford-class carriers are to be built over the next 40 years, at an estimated cost of $22 billion per ship.

Trump has repeatedly shown interest in naval vessel design. Last year, he unveiled a naval modernization initiative called the "Golden Fleet" and announced plans to introduce "Trump-class" battleships displacing 30,000 to 40,000 tons.

The CBO estimates the 30-year total cost of the Trump-class battleships at approximately $275 billion. After the first vessel is completed, the per-ship construction cost is projected at $18 billion.