Trump is back to criticizing US aircraft carrier engineering in what could be a warning sign for the US Navy
Trump criticized the USS Gerald R. Ford's costly tech issues, calling them wasteful.
The Ford-class carrier faced delays and cost overruns due to new tech integration.
Trump has consistently questioned the Ford's tech, advocating for traditional systems.
President Donald Trump criticized the technologies aboard the new US Navy supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford on Wednesday in a discussion of waste, reviving complaints about the aircraft carrier's engineering.
In remarks following the swearing-in of the new Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Trump deviated unexpectedly into carrier catapults and elevators, among other topics.
"Look at the Gerald Ford, the aircraft carrier," Trump said. "It was supposed to cost 3 billion. It ends up costing like 18 billion.'
The USS Gerald Ford is the world's largest aircraft carrier and the first ship of the new Ford-class carriers.
The $13 billion vessel set sail on its first deployment in 2022 after years of delays and soaring costs, which stemmed from technological integration challenges.
"We had 23 new technologies on that ship, which quite frankly increased the risk … of delivery on time and cost right from the get-go," former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said in 2022, acknowledging the tech troubles.
Issues included the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) and the advanced weapons elevators.
These systems now appear to work sufficiently. The carrier was able to complete a successful extended deployment in early 2024 that took it to the Eastern Mediterranean in the fall of 2023, just after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
But the president still has concerns about the technology.
Trump knocked the ship's "electric catapults" as faulty on Thursday, telling listeners that they "don't work." He has previously said the EMALS is too complicated and that sailors have to be Albert Einstein to work the system. He has pushed for steam catapults, which is what the Nimitz-class carriers use.
The new EMALS technology hasn't been without problems. In 2020, the catapults failed inexplicably, hamstringing flight operations for the better part of a week.
Naval Air Systems announced in the summer of 2022 that the EMALS and advanced arresting gear on the Ford had facilitated 10,000 aircraft launches and recoveries, indicating a shift away from earlier tech woes.
Trump's concerns extend beyond the EMALS though.
"And they have all magnetic elevators," Trump continued in his remarks Thursday on the Ford's technology. "They lift up 25 planes at a time, 20 planes at a time," he said, seemingly referring to the massive elevators designed to move military aircraft. The Ford has three aircraft elevators and 11 advanced weapons elevators, dedicated to moving heavy ordnance like bombs and missiles.
The weapons elevators, which rely on electromagnetic motors instead of cables and pulleys, were a problem during his first term in office. The shipbuilder resolved the issues prior to delivering the carrier to the Navy.
Trump has had a lot to say about the Ford over the years. Privately, he's also expressed concerns about the way it looks.
The Navy has one Ford-class carrier in service, one being readied for later delivery, two under construction, and two in planning. It's unclear if the White House intends to make changes to naval engineering and construction efforts.
The Navy did not provide comment on the president's remarks, and there was no immediate response from the White House.
Trump has previously signaled his intent to have the new Department of Government Efficiency look into the military, adding Wednesday that when "you look at the kind of waste, fraud, and abuse that this country is going through … we have to straighten it out." His National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, criticized US shipbuilding over the weekend as an "absolute mess."
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Yahoo Finance's Allie Canal breaks down what to look out for and how President Trump's tariffs are impacting what consumers are now paying for goods and services. Read more here. Now that the US-China trade truce is back on track, both sides are keen to ensure it stays that way. China's Vice Premier He Lifeng said both sides need to now 'show the spirit of good faith in abiding by their commitments and jointly safeguard the hard-won results of the dialogue.' Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Despite the US-China trade truce resuming the pain from President Trump's tariffs remains in China, especially among small exporters. Reuters reports: Read more here. Japan warned Wednesday that tariffs threaten its economic growth, the government said in a monthly report. Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. 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'Now we can go forward to try to do positive trade, growing trade,' he said. As part of the deal, Beijing has promised to speed up shipments of rare earth metals, a crucial component for global auto and defense industries. Washington will ease export controls. This marks the first sign of movement on key issues. The proposal will now be presented to President Trump and China's Xi. Still, the discussions also did little to resolve a long-standing issue: China's trade surplus with the US. 'Markets will likely welcome the shift from confrontation to coordination,' said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets. 'We're not out of the woods yet — it's up to Trump and Xi to approve and enforce the deal.' The meeting was set up after a phone call between the two leaders, following weeks of each side accusing the other of breaking the Geneva commitments. Both countries had used chips, rare earths, student visas and ethane as bargaining tools. Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor at East China Normal University, said trust, not money, has been the biggest casualty of the trade war. 'We've heard a lot about frameworks,' he said. 'But the fundamental issue remains: Chips versus rare earths. Everything else is a peacock dance.' Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Sign in to access your portfolio
