Phelan’s job was to deliver the first of Trump’s #battleships by 2028, an impossible deadline.

On Wednesday, #Trump fired Phelan, who had struggled to come up with a plan to deliver the ships on the nearly impossible timeline that Trump has demanded, senior defense & admin officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.

#JohnPhelan #Navy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism #greed

#Trump wanted one thing, more than anything else, from his secretary of the #Navy, #JohnPhelan: a new class of #battleships.

“They’ll be the fastest, the biggest & by far—100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” Trump boasted at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate & resort in Florida a few days before Christmas. Phelan, a billionaire investor who has a home near the club, stood next to the president as he made the announcement.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/us/politics/trump-navy-secretary.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Phelan recently suggested to #Trump that the #Navy might have to rely on European shipyards to deliver the #battleships on the ambitious timeline Trump was demanding, senior #military & administration officials said.

Trump rejected the suggestion.

In his December news conference, announcing the battleships, Trump had vowed that the vessels—“the largest battleship in the history of the world ever built”—would be made in the US with US steel.

#kakistocracy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

The #Trump admin has failed over the last 16 months to nominate anyone to serve as assistant secretary for research, development & acquisition—who is supposed to oversee the #Navy’s weapons programs. And the Navy’s civilian work force, which plays a critical role in developing & testing new #warships, has been devastated by cuts & early retirements, #military ofcls said.

After Trump announced his plans for the new #battleships, #defense experts questioned whether they would EVER be built.

For #Trump, the ships recalled “Victory at Sea,” a documentary television series that ran in the 1950s & touted the role that #battleships & other #Navy vessels played in WWII.

“Did you ever see ‘Victory at Sea?’ ” he mused to reporters in January when talking about the new battleships. “What a great thing that is to watch!”

Phelan played a prominent role in selling Trump on the new ships & his ambitious plans for revitalizing the US Navy’s fleet & the US shipbuilding industry.

#kakistocracy

Phelan’s job was to deliver the first of Trump’s #battleships by 2028, an impossible deadline.

On Wednesday, #Trump fired Phelan, who had struggled to come up with a plan to deliver the ships on the nearly impossible timeline that Trump has demanded, senior defense & admin officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.

#JohnPhelan #Navy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism #greed

#Trump wanted one thing, more than anything else, from his secretary of the #Navy, #JohnPhelan: a new class of #battleships.

“They’ll be the fastest, the biggest & by far—100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built,” Trump boasted at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate & resort in Florida a few days before Christmas. Phelan, a billionaire investor who has a home near the club, stood next to the president as he made the announcement.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/us/politics/trump-navy-secretary.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share