Phelan recently suggested to #Trump that the #Navy might have to rely on European shipyards to deliver the #battleships on the ambitious timeline Trump was demanding, senior #military & administration officials said.

Trump rejected the suggestion.

In his December news conference, announcing the battleships, Trump had vowed that the vessels—“the largest battleship in the history of the world ever built”—would be made in the US with US steel.

#kakistocracy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

In #Trump’s [delusional] imagination the new warship would be massive, weighing as much as 40,000 tons, & would be packed with new high-tech weapons, like lasers, hypersonic missiles & electric rail guns, most of which are still in development & years from being deployed.

In recent weeks, it had become clear to Phelan that the #Navy & the #US shipbuilding industry did not have the ability to deliver on Trump’s vision.

#MilitaryReadiness #kakistocracy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

“The ship’s purported characteristics are so extraordinary that the announcement will surely spark immense discussion,” wrote Mark F. Cancian, an expert on #military budgeting with CSIS. “However, there is little need for said discussion because this ship will never sail.”

The ship would take “years to design,” Cancian noted. “A future administration will cancel the program before the first ship hits the water.”

#MilitaryReadiness #Trump #kakistocracy #Navy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

…Before the #Navy settled on its plans for the Trump-class #battleship, Phelan wooed #Trump to the idea by showing oil paintings of some of the service’s great battleships from earlier eras, #defense officials said.

In its $1.5 trillion defense budget, released earlier this week, the Trump admin is asking for $65.8 billion for shipbuilding, the second-largest shipbuilding budget proposal since 1955, according to Congressional Budget Office data.

#kakistocracy #GovernmentSpending #narcissism

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

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

@samlitzinger

I don't think that's how it works:

"Cao, a Vietnamese refugee, also said that he's African-American because he "grew up in Africa too."

#narcissism

@aaron.rupar

This would be a lot funnier if he wasn't the president of the US. It's still funny, though. He's so stupid he doesn't realise how stupid he is, or sounds to non-cult members.

"As everyone knows, I am an extraordinarily brilliant person, and even I had no idea what the hell they were talking about"

#narcissism #Trump

"Let me start at the beginning of today’s Trump social media spiral, which kicked off around 3 in the morning. Trump was up in the dead of night reposting a random MAGA account asking 'What will happen next?' with a question mark. Ok?

Then came the follow-up: a repost of another random account calling for Senator Mark Kelly to be arrested."

~ Ben Meiselas

#Trump #Iran #war #economy #destruction #narcissism #megalomania #instability #ceasefire
/13

https://www.meidasplus.com/p/wednesday-afternoon-news-updates-cc1