President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will nominate an art collecting Republican megadonor who works in finance and has no military experience to run the Navy.
“It is my great honor to announce John Phelan as our next United States Secretary of the Navy!” Trump said, in a statement. “John will be a tremendous force for our Naval Servicemembers, and a steadfast leader in advancing my America First vision.”
Phelan heads Palm Beach-based private investment firm Rugger Management and formerly managed the investments of billionaire Michal Dell.
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His sole qualification for the Navy job seems to be that he helped the Trump campaign raise a lot of money.
One fundraiser he hosted for Trump at his $38 million Aspen, Colorado, home this summer cost $25,000 to $500,000 per couple.
“Phelan has not served in the Navy. [Or] any other branch of military service,” tweeted Army veteran Paul Rieckhoff, the founder of the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America group. “But he is a big Trump donor. The least qualified and most overtly political cabinet in American history continues to expand.”
“His Record of Success speaks for itself - A true Champion of American Enterprise and Ingenuity!” added Trump. “John’s intelligence and leadership are unmatched.”
Politico reported that Trump picked him following interviews at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA), a retired naval aviator who deployed in Iraq, and Rep. Ronny Jackson, a retired Navy captain who was Trump’s chief medical adviser in his first administration, were also rumored to be in the running.
Phelan and his wife Amy, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, were named among the world’s top 200 art collectors by ArtNews earlier this year.
Their collection was described by a Christie’s auction house curator as “a celebration of the sexual side of life with a sense of humor” in 2008.
Among their Picassos, Dubuffets and Chagalls are many works of blonde women who look like Amy, including some that are of her, W Magazine reported.
From 2006 to 2019, they hosted an annual wine tasting event WineCrush, as part of the Aspen Art Museum’s summer ArtCrush gala—admission to the museum has been free since 2009, according to its website, thanks to the Phelans' patronage.
Among those drawn to the event over the years was wine-lover and Keeping Up with the Kardashians matriarch Kris Jenner and her partner, Corey Gamble.
Another one of Trump’s leading picks to lead the military, Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth, has faced blowback after allegations he sexually assaulted a woman at a hotel in 2017 emerged. Hegseth denies the claims and says the encounter was consensual.
Meanwhile, longtime Trump advisor Boris Epshteyn is under internal investigation for allegedly offering pay-to-play cash access to the President-elect, including seeking cash payments from would-be cabinet nominees. He denies the allegations.
There is no indication Phelan interacted with Epshteyn.
“No one can promise any endorsement or nomination except me,” Trump told Just The News earlier this week. “I make these decisions on my own, period.”
