Trump attacks ‘complex’ US weapons in rant to marines: ‘The catapult people said steam’

President polls Navy personnel on their catapult preferences

Donald Trump has criticised “complex” planes and electric catapults on warships during a bizarre rant to an audience of US sailors and marines stationed in Japan.

The president, speaking aboard the USS Wasp at the Yokosuka naval base, polled US Navy personnel on whether they preferred traditional steam catapults or modern electric ones, which are used to propel planes off aircraft carriers.

“I really need this information, because you know we’re building carriers, we’re building one, they’re using an electric catapult and an electric elevator,” Mr Trump said, in reference to the Gerald R Ford, an aircraft carrier being built for the Navy.

“Number one I can’t imagine in the case of battle, it must be very delicate, OK? And you know steam’s only worked for about 65 years perfectly.

“And I won’t tell you this, because it’s before my time by a little bit, but they have a $900m cost overrun on this crazy electric catapult, I said, ‘What was wrong with steam?’ I would like to know.”

After one audience member yelled for “electric”, Mr Trump joked, “He works for the enemy”, before continuing his criticism of modern military technology.

“They’re always coming up with new ideas, they’re making planes so complex you can’t fly them,” he said.

“They wanna show next, next, next. We all want innovation, but it’s too much. But there’s never been anything like the steam catapult, and I went to the Gerald Ford, which is under construction now for a long time, they’re having a problem with their electric catapult, and I was talking to the catapult people and they said, ‘Steam’.

“In the meantime we’re spending all that money on electric, and nobody knows what it’s going to be like in bad conditions, you understand. So I think I’m going to put in an order, when we build a new aircraft carrier, we’re gonna use steam, I’m just gonna put out an order, we’re gonna use steam.”

Mr Trump has repeatedly railed against the electromagnetic catapult system, including in a phone call last year with a US Navy Officer, who contradicted the president by saying ships were paying a “heavy cost” by using steam.

Mr Trump’s critique of US aircraft carriers came at the end of his four-day state visit to Japan, where he became the first foreign leader to meet newly-ordained Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

Trump comments on steam catapults in full:

Let me ask you a question: Catapult, right? The catapult system, do you like electric or steam? (Cheers mainly for steam).

Steam. Who said electric? There’s one guy back there (laughs from audience). Ok I really need this information, cos you know, we’re building carriers, we’re building one, they’re using an electric catapult and an electric elevator.

Number one I can’t imagine in the case of battle, it must be very delicate, OK? And you know steam’s only worked for about 65 years perfectly.

And I won’t tell you this, because it’s before my time by a little bit, but they have a $900m cost overrun on this crazy electric catapult, I said, ‘What was wrong with steam?’ I would like to know.

All of the folks that know exactly what I’m talking about, the catapult system, steam or electric, ready? Steam? (Cheers) Electric? (Fewer cheers).

He works for the enemy (laughs). He’s alright (inaudible). He might be in danger. No we wanna go with steam.

You know they’re always coming up with new ideas, they’re making planes so complex you can’t fly them. You know that? No it’s (inaudible). They wanna show next, next, next. We all want innovation, but it’s too much.

But there’s never been anything like the steam catapult, and I went to the Gerald Ford, which is under construction now for a long time, they’re having a problem with their electric catapult, and I was talking to the catapult people and they said, ‘Steam’.

In the meantime we’re spending all that money on electric, and nobody knows what it’s going to be like in bad conditions, you understand. So I think I’m going to put in an order, when we build a new aircraft carrier, we’re gonna use steam, I’m just gonna put out an order, we’re gonna use steam.

We don’t need, we don’t need that extra speed, you know they were saying, one of the folks, said, you know, ‘No the electric works faster, but sir we can only get the plane there every couple of minutes’.

So really, what they did is wrong. And we make mistakes but generally speaking we get it right, but when we make ‘em and we have to correct it, so we’re going to put out an order, we wanna use steam.