Hung Cao Calls Donald Trump’s Endorsement as Official Navy Secretary ‘Honor of a Lifetime’

Hung Cao said President Donald Trump nominating him as the long-term Navy secretary is the “honor of a lifetime.”

Trump nominated Cao, who currently serves as the acting Navy secretary, in a social media post on Tuesday night, after he fired his predecessor, John Phelan, a big Trump donor who was terminated in April for reasons including slowed shipbuilding schedules.

“We need Patriots like Hung leading our Navy and Marine Corps, and I can think of no one better than him to make sure our Great Navy and Marine Corps remain the FIERCEST and BEST Force the World has ever seen,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social:

“The Senate needs to confirm this Warfighter, ASAP, so he can continue the fantastic work he has been doing over the past 4 months. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the president added.

In response, Cao said he was “grateful” for Trump’s leadership and said leading “the great warriors of the Navy and Marine Corps team” was “an honor of a lifetime.”

“It’s an honor of a lifetime to lead the great warriors of the Navy and Marine Corps team,” Cao wrote on X on Wednesday. “I’m grateful for your leadership and support as we continue to get after shipbuilding and ensure the defense of the homeland.”

Cao’s Naval Background

Cao’s ascendance into leading all sailors is a long time coming.

He immigrated to the U.S. from South Vietnam in 1975 and joined the Navy as a seaman recruit in 1989. In 1996, he was commissioned as a special operations officer at the United States Naval Academy.

Overall, he spent more than 30 years in the Navy as a diver and bomb disposal officer. He later retired in 2021 as a captain.

He’s also leveraged his military service into political campaigns, running for the Virginia House in 2022 and then for the U.S. Senate in 2024—both unsuccessfully as a Republican candidate.

He became the acting Navy secretary after Phelan was fired amid infighting with Pentagon leaders and disagreements about how to manage the Navy’s shipbuilding program.

Reactions to Nomination, Timing of Appointment

Reacting to Cao’s nomination, advocacy group Veteran Action came out in support, calling his story “remarkable.”

“Hung Cao has lived the American Dream, and his profound love of country and his leadership make him an incredible choice for Secretary of the Navy,” Veteran Action founder Mark Lucas said on X.” We will put all our grassroots muscle behind his confirmation.”

Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican, also congratulated Cao.

“I know you will work hard to support our incredible Sailors and Marines,” he wrote on X.

To assume the role, the Senate needs to confirm Cao and the timing remains murky.

It is not clear when it will do so as it is in recess until mid-September, then only in session for three weeks before the November midterm elections.