Donnie Politics: We’re gonna build YUGE ships… and people will say “wow what a great Navy” he built as President… the best ever.

Entire MAGA Movement: We’re gonna build those ships in the USA right… right?

Well… yes. But also… South Korea has entered the chat.

Shares of Hanwha Ocean are up nearly 10% after Donald Trump announced the company will help build new U.S. Navy warships. And not overseas, but at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, which the South Korean firm acquired in 2024 and is now stuffing with $5 billion in fresh investment like it’s a military-industrial HGTV makeover.

This is all tied to the Navy’s freshly unveiled FF(X) frigate program… smaller, faster combat ships designed to run shotgun for the big boys and give the fleet more flexibility around the globe. Navy Secretary John Phelan already folded them into Trump’s vision for what he keeps calling the “Golden Fleet,” which sounds like a limited-time McDonald’s combo until you remember it floats, hunts enemies, and occasionally launches missiles.

(Source: CNBC)

Then Trump did what Trump does.

Standing alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he announced plans for two brand-new “Trump-class” battleships, with the number potentially ballooning to as many as 25. 

According to Trump, these ships will be the fastest, the biggest, and “100 times more powerful” than anything else afloat. They’ll be armed with lasers, hypersonic weapons, cruise missiles, and nuclear capabilities… basically a floating billboard that says Do Not Test Us.

(Source: Breaking Defense)

Is that an exaggeration? Probably. Did markets still immediately smash the buy button? Absolutely.

For Hanwha, this is a dream scenario. The company already knows how to build LNG carriers, submarines, and advanced naval platforms. Now it’s planting its flag directly inside the U.S. defense supply chain, with American workers, American steel, and a Philly address slapped on the invoice. Pretty genius if you ask me.

It also explains why South Korean defense stocks have gone full rocket mode this year. Hanwha Aerospace is up more than 170% YTD. Hyundai Rotem is up over 270%. Hanwha Ocean itself is already up 220%, and now it’s got Trump, the Pentagon, and a $150 billion South Korean shipbuilding pledge all rowing in the same direction.

From a 30,000 foot view, it makes sense the more you think about it. The U.S. Navy has a problem: shipbuilding delays, cost overruns, and a domestic industrial base that’s been stuck in a permanent state of “we’ll fix it next quarter.” 

The GAO has been ringing alarm bells for years. Major programs like the Columbia-class submarine are behind schedule. Suppliers are stretched thin. Everyone agrees sea power matters… fewer people agree on how to rebuild it fast.

So naturally, when a proven foreign shipbuilder shows up with capital, expertise, and a willingness to build on U.S. soil, Washington suddenly becomes very pragmatic. Especially once Donnie realizes these ships could double as floating monuments to himself.

At the time of publishing this article, Stocks.News holds positions in McDonald’s as mentioned in the article.