This is more than ridiculous. I can hear this guy’s Thurston Howell voice right now. “Come now, *I* want to be in charge of the boats, Trumpy.”
The president-elect announced last night that John Phelan was his pick for Secretary of the Navy, a move that stunned most people, including Military.com, the leading website for news on what’s happening with the military.
It took Trump a mere three sentences before referring to the Navy as a “business,” which to Trump is code for “a moneymaking endeavor.” Business is, of course, not the purpose of the Navy. They specialize more in things like, oh, say, taking down Osama bin Laden.
Why did the nomination come as a surprise? Well, the simple answer is that you might expect that the leader of a branch of the military that employs 1 in every 750 adults in America would have military experience. Phelan has none.
In fact, I had to go back 4 Navy Secretaries to find one who didn’t serve specifically in the Navy, and he was a Marine, the closest branch to the Navy. Oh, and he also served as the Secretary of Defense.
There’s no rule preventing Trump from appointing Phelan. In fact, he’s required to appoint a civilian — as in, at least not an active duty member — so as to avoid conflicts of interest. But it looks like Trump wants to change the very nature of the role, as evidenced by his announcement.
“John has excelled in every endeavor, from founding and leading Rugger Management LLC, to co-founding MSD Capital, LP, the Private Investment Firm for Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies,” Trump crowed on social media. “His Record of Success speaks for itself – A true Champion of American Enterprise and Ingenuity!”
Trump didn’t even pretend like he thought military experience was necessary.
“John’s intelligence and leadership are unmatched,” the statement said. “John holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and is a truly brilliant guy! His incredible knowledge and experience will elevate the lives of the brave Americans who serve our Nation. John will deliver real results for our Navy and our Country. I look forward to working with him.”
You might remember that fundraiser in Aspen, Colorado back in August, where Trump went on a filthy-mouthed rant against immigrants and warned his donors that if Kamala were elected, it could be the last election ever held in America. Yeah, that was at John Phelan’s house.
The depressing thing is, because Trump moved the Overton Window with Matt Gaetz, it makes the rest of his nominees look almost reasonable by comparison. The only other one who might worry a little bit about confirmation by the Senate would probably be Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth. Pete’s said to have raped a woman and then paid her off.
Even there, though, the nomination makes more sense than Phelan’s. Hegseth, even if his most recent job was as a talking head on Fox News, at least served in the military.