Trump highlights Pentagon leadership friction in praise for fired Navy Secretary Phelan
WASHINGTON, DC: A day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan, President Donald Trump praised the ousted Navy secretary in a social media post on Thursday afternoon, April 23, raising eyebrows.
John Phelan was fired over the slow implementation of the shipbuilding program and persistent friction with Pentagon leadership. Sources revealed that Hegseth didn’t like Phelan taking matters directly to Trump.
Trump hails John Phelan’s job as outstanding
Taking to Truth Social on Thursday afternoon, Trump praised Phelan’s work and called him a “long-time friend.”
Trump on Phelan: “I very much appreciate the job that he has done, and would certainly like to have him back within the Trump Administration sometime in the future.” pic.twitter.com/RNpdiHJE66
— Annmarie Hordern (@annmarie) April 23, 2026
"John Phelan is a long time friend, and very successful businessman, who did an outstanding job serving as my Secretary Of The Navy for the last year," Trump wrote
"John helped my Administration rebuild Sleepy Joe Biden’s rapidly depleted, and almost abandoned, Navy. Now, because of John, and all of the Great Men and Women lovingly and tirelessly involved, we have the strongest Navy in the World — BY FAR!"
Trump further said that he would like to have Phelan back “within the Trump Administration sometime in the future,” and asserted that the former secretary took a voluntary exit, which contradicts what inside sources revealed about his departure.
Trump agreed to new leadership in the Navy
Speaking from the White House, the president noted that while Phelan was a talented financier and a major campaign donor, he faced "conflicts" with the chain of command.
"John is a friend, but we need a specific type of leadership right now," Trump remarked, adding that the Navy requires a "wartime footing" that should not get bogged up by bureaucratic frictions.
A senior administration official said Trump and Hegseth "agreed new leadership at the Navy is needed." Phelan was informed about the decision by Hegseth before Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell announced the move in a post on X on Wednesday, April 22.
Why was Phelan fired?
John Phelan was reportedly fired after months of friction with senior Pentagon leadership. Both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg were not fine with Phelan’s conduct, and tension between them simmered for months, Fox News reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The firing of Phelan’s chief of staff, John Harrison, marked one of the flashpoints in the friction, which was later fueled by his execution of major shipbuilding programs, the report added.
The Navy leadership shakeup comes at a critical point when the US Marines are carrying out a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, where mine threats and the closure of critical maritime trade transit have disrupted the global energy supply.
Amid the lagging shipbuilding capacity, the Navy is undergoing expansion on a "wartime footing.”
