Saltwater does in fact aggressively corrode neodymium magnets. About as fast as a piece of raw iron. On top of that, the saltwater can induce currents in magnetic systems that can wreak havoc. There is truth to what Trump is saying. It seems like people are assuming Trump thinks water cancels out magnetism, but I don’t see that.
… rare earth magnets are highly susceptible to corrosion regardless if the water is salty. They will corrode very quickly in fresh water - as any aquarium hobbyist coult tell you.
You aren’t claiming that magnets are impervious to corrosion, are you?
“You know, the new thing is magnets. So instead of using hydraulic that can be hit by lightning and it’s fine. You take a little glass of water, you drop it on magnets, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Which is 100 percent correct… you can drop a single drop of tap water onto a magent, and it will corrode. This is nothing new to aquarium enthusiasts.
Did he say it like a dumbass? Yes. Is he a dumbass? Yes. But there is truth to what he’s saying. Criticisms of the man should be strategic and pointed, otherwise you risk discrediting yourself to right wingers.
You’re sane-washing a madman. It’s like when he suggested piping UV light into your veins to cure COVID… Yes, purifying blood using UV is a real area of research, but his take away is nonsense. You have to squint, change half the concept, and then ignore all practical considerations to make that make sense
Pay attention to what he’s actually suggesting - replacing our extremely advanced magnetic launch system with hydronics. They would have way more parts, fail more catastrophically, and would not be able to launch nearly as much weight
This is not a serious option… It’s a misunderstanding of something thrown out in a brainstorm
USS Ford’s launch and recovery gear are electromagnetically actuated, a departure from the steam-operated Nimitz-class carriers. The new designs were developed and installed because they promised longer intervals between maintenance and higher sortie generation rates. Though the Navy remains upbeat about Ford’s capabilities, these gains have proven elusive.
“The reliability of CVN 78 catapults, arresting gear, and jet blast deflectors (JBDs) continues to have an adverse effect on sortie generation and flight operations efficiency,” noted DOT&E in an annual report released in mid-January. “The ongoing reliability problems with these critical subsystems remains the primary risk to the successful completion of CVN 78 [initial operational testing and evaluation].”
The carrier’s Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) has similar challenges. The AAG is supposed to cycle 16,500 times between failures, but in recent testing it has broken down after roughly 450 cycles.
Belowdecks, the Ford’s Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE) elevator system remains a source of trouble. During a weapons onload in September, the lower stage elevators performed more quickly than those on a Nimitz-class carrier, DOT&E said; however, 109 elevator failures were reported out of about 20,000 elevator dispatches. “AWE system reliability will be critical as the Navy develops standard procedures for moving ordnance from magazines to the flight deck,” noted DOT&E.
In a first ordnance-handling test, the advanced weapons elevators on the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), America’s new, $13.3 billion supercarrier, offered little to no meaningful improvement over the legacy elevator systems aboard America’s venerable $5 billion Nimitz class carriers.
Crew claimed they “were able to run ammo downstairs in the magazines much quicker because we were able to put extra weight on the elevator, able to run it down quicker, which means you have to run those cycles a lot less.”
That sounds great, but unbiased analysis of the Ford’s performance during the carrier’s initial two-and-a-half day ammunition onload cycle suggests the Navy has yet to take full advantage of Ford’s eleven faster and stronger elevators. Put bluntly, all the high-tech electromagnetic elevators aboard the USS Ford failed to translate into a faster ordnance onload cycle. It calls a primary pillar of the Ford’s business case—that new ammunition handling techniques would yield vast performance benefits and make the ship less vulnerable—into question.
Those articles are from 2022, when they were still shaking things out in real world usage. Since then the bugs have been slowly but consistently ironed out. It happens every time with defense development these days.
They’re looking to expand use of the system, because it is just all around better. There’s fewer parts, it’s faster, smaller, and lighter. That means smaller aircraft carriers
This is a non issue, Trump just doesn’t like “electric”. And yeah, I’m sure he heard about problems in development and latched onto that in his first term, but really it’s about rare earth magnets from China… Which these systems use, along with just about everything else these days
Not to mention, these systems are smaller and lighter
… is it even possible to retrofit a steam launch system on the all electric carriers built around this?
Since then the bugs have been slowly but consistently ironed out.
This just came straight out your ass. Where can you find a source for this? Show me anything that corroborates. Yall are just digging in now thay you know youre wrong. Its obvious that you are completely oblivious to the throws of this recent carrier class and the associated new technologies - which have been consistently problematic for years now.
If you actually read those articles you just linked, you’ll find the titles are click bait. The program has massive cost overruns, just like the F35. And similarly, it’s had issues, but the F35 is an incredibly advanced aircraft now
But the navy expects to hit the promised performance metrics by 2030. They’re moving forward with the program, even considering expanding it into ground based systems
The navy can indeed fix their electronic catapults, I don’t know if that last one is AI or what, but the entire article is a huge puff piece about the advantages of the ship
🚢 The USS Gerald R. Ford is the world’s largest and most technologically advanced aircraft carrier, powered by nuclear reactors.
💡 Featuring the groundbreaking Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), it enhances sortie rates and minimizes airframe stress.
🌍 As a key element of U.S. naval strategy, it plays a significant role in global power projection and deterrence efforts.
🛠 Despite facing construction challenges and budget overruns, it remains adaptable to future technologies like advanced drones.
And another piece of the business insider article
The inclusion of the elevators and EMALS was paired with overall ship layout changes as well.
This relates to my other point… Is it even possible to retrofit a steam system on the Ford and Kennedy?
President Donald Trump has previously been critical of both the catapults and the weapons elevators on the Ford, expressing concern about the use of magnets in the advanced technology.
The Navy officials who testified before Congress Tuesday said the “Navy and shipbuilder HII-NNS are hyper-focused on a CVN 79 delivery plan that results in the fastest path to a combat ready CVN, crew, and air wing.”
So yeah. There’s been problems, the budget is out of control, but the tech is only improving
If only there was something that could be done to prevent the corrosion, like coating them or using them inside a sealed mechanism. It’s not trumps job to tell engineers who are infinitely more intelligent than him how to do their job.
It actually does matter when you have an entire thread of people decrying Trump’s supposed lack of understanding of magnets - while simultaneously pushing completely incorrect ideas about magents and laying bare their own lack of understanding of magnets.
Especially annoying when you can do one single Google search and read a plethora of sources that explain in great scientific detail just how susceptible magnets are to water - especially in seawater applications.
You might read the article where that line about dropping a glass of water on a magnet and he doesn’t know what will happen is just one example of a long pattern of his complaining about magnets (and sorry to disappoint you but drop a glass of water on a magnet and nothing will happen).
I suspect the whole ranting about magnets relates to the trade war with China which is by far our main source of rare earth materials including for rare earth magnets, and he seems of generalize them to all magnets. But the point is he says he’s going to sign an EO that they can’t use the magnetic elevators on aircraft carriers because of his mindset about magnets. Sure, I guess if the ship sank, there could be damage to the magnets in the new elevators, but that wouldn’t exactly be the biggest problem at that point.
omg. trump said “drop a glass of water on it and I don’t know what’ll happen”–as if the brief amount of time a glass of water ran over the magnet would ruin it. He didn’t say soak it in water or keep it wet for a long period of time. Obviously metal rusts over time if not kept dry. You’re grasping at straws trying to defend trump.
Saltwater does in fact aggressively corrode neodymium magnets. About as fast as a piece of raw iron. On top of that, the saltwater can induce currents in magnetic systems that can wreak havoc. There is truth to what Trump is saying. It seems like people are assuming Trump thinks water cancels out magnetism, but I don’t see that.
Report: Carrier USS Ford’s Electromagnetic Systems Still Need Work New aircraft launch and recovery systems still break down too often, according to the Pentagon’s testing office
https://navalaviationnews.navy.mil/Editorial-Staff-Tools/Article-Submission/Article/3022833/how-naval-aviation-is-solving-its-billion-dollar-corrosion-problem/
https://www.stanfordmagnets.com/how-to-avoid-neodymium-magnet-corrosion.html
However he mentioned pouring a glass of water.
Nice try though.
… rare earth magnets are highly susceptible to corrosion regardless if the water is salty. They will corrode very quickly in fresh water - as any aquarium hobbyist coult tell you.
You aren’t claiming that magnets are impervious to corrosion, are you?
Neodymium magnets are typically coated with Nickel to prevent rust and corrosion from moisture, but unless coated with a special corrosion resistant coating, they are not waterproof. They should be kept away from water (especially salt water), as exposure to moisture can cause them to corrode and lose their magnetic strength over time. It is important to note that even a small amount of water, such as high humidity, can cause rust to form on the surface of the magnets. If you need to use neodymium magnets in a damp or wet environment, it is best to use a magnet with a corrosion resistant coating, or encase them in a waterproof container to protect them from moisture.
It could be because he said it like this:
Which is 100 percent correct… you can drop a single drop of tap water onto a magent, and it will corrode. This is nothing new to aquarium enthusiasts.
Did he say it like a dumbass? Yes. Is he a dumbass? Yes. But there is truth to what he’s saying. Criticisms of the man should be strategic and pointed, otherwise you risk discrediting yourself to right wingers.
You’re sane-washing a madman. It’s like when he suggested piping UV light into your veins to cure COVID… Yes, purifying blood using UV is a real area of research, but his take away is nonsense. You have to squint, change half the concept, and then ignore all practical considerations to make that make sense
Pay attention to what he’s actually suggesting - replacing our extremely advanced magnetic launch system with hydronics. They would have way more parts, fail more catastrophically, and would not be able to launch nearly as much weight
This is not a serious option… It’s a misunderstanding of something thrown out in a brainstorm
This remains to be seen. In fact, the opposite is proving true.
https://maritime-executive.com/article/report-carrier-uss-ford-s-electromagnetic-systems-still-need-work
https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2022/10/14/in-a-first-deployment-test-uss-ford-fails-to-beat-nimitz-class-benchmarks/
Those articles are from 2022, when they were still shaking things out in real world usage. Since then the bugs have been slowly but consistently ironed out. It happens every time with defense development these days.
They’re looking to expand use of the system, because it is just all around better. There’s fewer parts, it’s faster, smaller, and lighter. That means smaller aircraft carriers
This is a non issue, Trump just doesn’t like “electric”. And yeah, I’m sure he heard about problems in development and latched onto that in his first term, but really it’s about rare earth magnets from China… Which these systems use, along with just about everything else these days
Not to mention, these systems are smaller and lighter … is it even possible to retrofit a steam launch system on the all electric carriers built around this?
This just came straight out your ass. Where can you find a source for this? Show me anything that corroborates. Yall are just digging in now thay you know youre wrong. Its obvious that you are completely oblivious to the throws of this recent carrier class and the associated new technologies - which have been consistently problematic for years now.
2025:
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-still-struggling-with-elevators-on-ford-aircraft-carriers-2025-4
2025:
https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/the-new-ford-class-aircraft-carriers-have-a-warning-for-the-u-s-navy/
2025:
https://www.energy-reporters.com/news/they-spent-13-billion-on-a-mistake-uss-gerald-fords-electromagnetic-catapults-keep-failing-and-navy-cant-fix-them/?hl=en-US#%3A~%3Atext=A+key+feature+of+this%2Cby+reducing+stress+on+aircraft.
If you actually read those articles you just linked, you’ll find the titles are click bait. The program has massive cost overruns, just like the F35. And similarly, it’s had issues, but the F35 is an incredibly advanced aircraft now
But the navy expects to hit the promised performance metrics by 2030. They’re moving forward with the program, even considering expanding it into ground based systems
The navy can indeed fix their electronic catapults, I don’t know if that last one is AI or what, but the entire article is a huge puff piece about the advantages of the ship
And another piece of the business insider article
This relates to my other point… Is it even possible to retrofit a steam system on the Ford and Kennedy?
So yeah. There’s been problems, the budget is out of control, but the tech is only improving
If only there was something that could be done to prevent the corrosion, like coating them or using them inside a sealed mechanism. It’s not trumps job to tell engineers who are infinitely more intelligent than him how to do their job.
Giving rare earth magnets a waterproof coating is nothing new. They are still extremely susceptible to corrosion, especially in seawater applications.
Salt water corrodes nearly everything. It’s the salt.
Why would you give this man the benefit of the doubt at this point?
It doesn’t really matter what scientific information has been given about magnets, we see before us what his brain turned it into.
It actually does matter when you have an entire thread of people decrying Trump’s supposed lack of understanding of magnets - while simultaneously pushing completely incorrect ideas about magents and laying bare their own lack of understanding of magnets.
Especially annoying when you can do one single Google search and read a plethora of sources that explain in great scientific detail just how susceptible magnets are to water - especially in seawater applications.
You might read the article where that line about dropping a glass of water on a magnet and he doesn’t know what will happen is just one example of a long pattern of his complaining about magnets (and sorry to disappoint you but drop a glass of water on a magnet and nothing will happen).
I suspect the whole ranting about magnets relates to the trade war with China which is by far our main source of rare earth materials including for rare earth magnets, and he seems of generalize them to all magnets. But the point is he says he’s going to sign an EO that they can’t use the magnetic elevators on aircraft carriers because of his mindset about magnets. Sure, I guess if the ship sank, there could be damage to the magnets in the new elevators, but that wouldn’t exactly be the biggest problem at that point.
You are one dense mfer. Maybe even denser than Trump.
https://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog/can-magnets-rust
https://www.couragemagnet.com/magnet-faqs/3391.html
omg. trump said “drop a glass of water on it and I don’t know what’ll happen”–as if the brief amount of time a glass of water ran over the magnet would ruin it. He didn’t say soak it in water or keep it wet for a long period of time. Obviously metal rusts over time if not kept dry. You’re grasping at straws trying to defend trump.