Navy Secretary fired by Hegseth refuses to leave until ordered by Trump
United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth fired the Navy Secretary John Phelan from his post and the latter went straight to the White House to ask the U.S. President Donald Trump, if the decision was final.
The news of Phelan’s ouster caught him and many inside the Pentagon completely off guard on Wednesday evening, April 22, 2026.
The Pentagon’s chief spokesperson announced that Phelan would be departing “effective immediately,” offering no explanation.
They added that Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao would take charge as acting secretary while the administration decides what comes next.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Pete Hegseth was growing increasingly frustrated with Phelan for months due to two main reasons.
- Hegseth believed Phelan was moving too slowly on shipbuilding reform, a priority the administration had staked considerable political capital on.
- Hegseth was irritated by what he saw as Phelan going around him to speak directly with President Trump.
The now-former Navy secretary’s mansion is located near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach and the two have built a close friendship over the years, which the secretary of war apparently saw as a threat to his authority.
In a meeting in the White House on Wednesday, when shipbuilding progress was being discussed, Trump appeared unhappy and frustrated with the results and reportedly asked Secretary Hegseth to deal with the situation.
The reports state that Hegseth immediately asked Phelan to resign and threatened to fire him if he did not comply. Phelan went straight to the White House to ask Trump about his removal and returned empty handed.
The latest firing of a high-ranking official comes after Hegseth removed the Army Chief of Staff and two other Army generals.
