Leaving the controversy in Washington behind, President Donald Trump rolled into Newport News, Virginia, Thursday afternoon and was given a hero’s welcome by thousands of assembled American servicemen.
Trump was eager to talk about his plan to juice defense spending, which he said will give the military the tools it needs — if called into battle — to win.
“By eliminating the sequester and the uncertainty it creates, we will make it easier for the Navy to plan for the future.”
Trump spoke to Navy sailors aboard the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, named for the 40th president. Trump used the opportunity to talk up his proposal to increase defense spending by $54 billion. The president said that new spending will also support new U.S. jobs.
Trump noted the construction of the U.S.S. Gerald Ford employed roughly 5,000 shipbuilders.
Trump said he now wants to eliminate the defense budget “sequester” from 2011, which slowed defense spending.
“By eliminating the sequester and the uncertainty it creates, we will make it easier for the Navy to plan for the future and, thus, to control costs and to get the best deals for the taxpayer,” said Trump.
Trump said he will be able to negotiate more ships, planes and weapons for less money than projected. It is time to increase the number of ships in the U.S. military arsenal, Trump said, because the Navy is the smallest it has been since World War I.
To change that, Trump wants the Navy to grow to a 12-carrier fleet. Aircraft carriers are the largest and most expensive naval ships.
“I will always support you, and your mission,” said Trump. “I will never, ever let you down.”
The U.S.S. Gerald Ford, an aircraft supercarrier with nuclear power, weighs about 90,000 tons and is one of the nation’s most formidable naval vessels. It cost almost $13 billion to build.
The supercarrier can accommodate 25 percent more flight missions than a standard Nimitz-style carrier.
Adding one more Ford-style carrier would get the nation to 12 carriers.
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