Post · CoreSignal social

#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

https://www.nytimes.com

Trump’s Dreams for a Battleship Led to His Navy Secretary’s Ouster

Roy -- the dull one

@oldclumsy_nowmad@mastodon.social replied · 3 hours ago

@Nonilex

This is tragic. With Phelan and Trump transforming our Navy, we could have been ready for WWII.

Not a typo.

lawrence.stevens

@lawrence_stevens@c.im replied · 9 hours ago

@Nonilex

Fathers, let this be a lesson to you.
Love your children.
Show that love.
Interact with them.
Let them know you care.

Otherwise they will be stuck as 8 year olds, always striving for Daddy's attention. Obsessed with material things like Cars, Planes, Trucks and Jewelry.

Michaela W.

@MichaelaWifi@ruhr.social replied · 9 hours ago

@Nonilex Sounds like Wilhelm II of Germany at the end of the 19th century. (Later Wilhelm started World War I).

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai replied · 9 hours ago

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

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai replied · 9 hours ago

#JohnPhelan is the first service secretary to be forced from the #Defense Dept during this admin, though he is far from the only senior #Pentagon official to be dismissed. Pete Hegseth has fired or sidelined more than two dozen generals & admirals over the past year, including the Army’s chief of staff, Gen Randy George, earlier this month. #Hegseth has also butted heads with the secretary of the #Army, Daniel P. Driscoll, over promotions & a host of other issues.

#MilitaryReadiness

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai replied · 9 hours ago

The churn of senior #Pentagon officials at a time when the US #military is engaged in #war with #Iran has alarmed top #Republican & #Democratic members of #Congress.

The Pentagon did not respond to questions regarding the circumstances surrounding Phelan’s dismissal. Phelan could not immediately be reached for comment.

#MilitaryReadiness #Trump #Hegseth #kakistocracy

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai replied · 9 hours ago

The breaking point for Phelan, who often said that he & #Trump texted & talked on the phone regularly, came in the last 2 weeks as Trump’s frustration over Phelan’s management of his prized battleship program grew & Phelan’s enemies in the #Pentagon, including #Hegseth & Deputy Defense Secy Stephen A. Feinberg, mounted a campaign to force him out.

Earlier this month, Hegseth & Feinberg told Trump that the #Navy secretary was not a team player & needed to go, military ofcls said.

#kakistocracy

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai replied · 9 hours ago

#Trump called Phelan to talk about his poor relationship with other leaders in the #Pentagon.

Feinberg & #Hegseth had recently seized some decision-making authority from Phelan, tapping a three-star admiral to oversee the #Navy’s submarine portfolio & having him report directly to Feinberg.

That left Phelan with oversight of the major investment in new ships that Trump has called a “golden fleet,” built around the president’s beloved #battleship program.

#MilitaryReadiness #kakistocracy

Nonilex

@Nonilex@masto.ai replied · 9 hours ago

Presidents rarely pay close attention to military procurement, but #Trump has spoken repeatedly about his plans for a new “Trump-class” #battleship. In a February speech to soldiers at Fort Bragg, NC, Trump insisted that he had helped design the new class of ships that bear his name.

“I put a little more spirit in the hull,” Trump told the troops. “I want that ship to look gorgeous, you know.”

#MilitaryReadiness #kakistocracy #Navy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

2+ more replies (not shown)

That Nonproductive Guy

@nonproductive@mastodon.social replied · 9 hours ago

@Nonilex So he’ll get someone to rush it and we’ll get very expensive, very shitty ships. Exactly as expected from Trump.

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