US President Donald Trump said Monday that he approved plans for the construction of two new battleships, noting they will be the largest and most powerful naval vessels ever built.

"It's my great honor to announce that I have approved of two brand new, very large -- largest we've ever built -- battleships," Trump, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan, told reporters in Palm Beach, Florida.

"They'll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," he added.

According to Trump, the ships would displace between 30,000 and 40,000 tons or more.

“Once completed, these new 30 to 40,000-ton plus vessels will be the flagships of the American naval fleet,” he said, adding: “There’s never been built (anything) like them.”

"These vessels will be some of the "most lethal" surface warfare ships, Trump said, adding they will have hypersonic weapons and carry nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles currently under development.

"We're going to restore America as a major shipbuilding power. We're going to ensure the USA is the most powerful fleet anywhere in the world," he said.

Hegseth, for his part, said American strength is back on the world stage.

“And the announcement of the Golden Fleet anchored by new battleships, the biggest and most lethal ever, accomplishes all three of those things and marks a generational commitment to American sea power," he added.

Phelan said the future 'Trump-class' battleship, the USS Defiant, will be "the largest, deadliest and most versatile and best looking" warship anywhere on the world's oceans.

"For the first time in generations, we'll have a new leg in America's nuclear deterrence, because the Trump-class battleship will carry the nuclear armed sea launched cruise missiles…Our adversaries will know, when the Trump-class USS Defiant appears on the horizon, American victory at sea is inevitable," he added. (AA)