{"id":2455296,"date":"2025-07-03T13:53:01","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T17:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dod-mum-on-nomination-of-admiral-who-allowed-drag-on-ship\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T13:54:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T17:54:56","slug":"dod-mum-on-nomination-of-admiral-who-allowed-drag-on-ship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dod-mum-on-nomination-of-admiral-who-allowed-drag-on-ship\/","title":{"rendered":"DOD Mum On Nomination Of Admiral Who Allowed Drag On Ship"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdod-mum-on-nomination-of-admiral-who-allowed-drag-on-ship%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2455296&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-issues-multiple-corrections-for-article-falsely-claiming-900000-u-s-children-have-been-hospitalized-for-covid-19-during-pandemic\/\" title=\"New York Times Issues Multiple Corrections For Article Falsely Claiming 900,000 U.S. Children Have Been Hospitalized For COVID-19 During Pandemic\">article discusses<\/a> the nomination of Rear Admiral Michael &#8220;Buzz&#8221; Donnelly for promotion to command the Navy&#8217;s 7th Fleet by President Trump.Donnelly is known for permitting drag shows on the USS Ronald Reagan while he was in command, which contrasts with Trump&#8217;s agenda to eliminate &#8220;woke&#8221; elements from the military. Critics, including military commentators, argue that Donnelly, as a leader, should be accountable for actions taken under his command. Trump has previously criticized such inclusivity in the military, pledging to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >restore traditional values<\/a>.Donnelly, a career aviation officer with extensive experience, is poised to oversee a important fleet if promoted. The article touches upon the ongoing military discourse regarding inclusion, leadership, and the shifting cultural dynamics under different administrations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nara.getarchive.net\/media\/the-aircraft-carrier-uss-ronald-reagan-cvn-76-is-06fb81\">Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob Estes \/ NARA &amp; DVIDS Public Domain Archive<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/03\/white-house-pentagon-wont-say-why-admiral-who-allowed-drag-shows-on-navy-ship-was-nominated-for-promotion\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=White%20House,%20Pentagon%20Won%E2%80%99t%20Say%20Why%20Admiral%20Who%20Allowed%20Drag%20Shows%20On%20Navy%20Ship%20Was%20Nominated%20For%20Promotion&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/03\/white-house-pentagon-wont-say-why-admiral-who-allowed-drag-shows-on-navy-ship-was-nominated-for-promotion\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=White%20House,%20Pentagon%20Won%E2%80%99t%20Say%20Why%20Admiral%20Who%20Allowed%20Drag%20Shows%20On%20Navy%20Ship%20Was%20Nominated%20For%20Promotion&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/03\/white-house-pentagon-wont-say-why-admiral-who-allowed-drag-shows-on-navy-ship-was-nominated-for-promotion\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/03\/white-house-pentagon-wont-say-why-admiral-who-allowed-drag-shows-on-navy-ship-was-nominated-for-promotion\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=White%20House,%20Pentagon%20Won%E2%80%99t%20Say%20Why%20Admiral%20Who%20Allowed%20Drag%20Shows%20On%20Navy%20Ship%20Was%20Nominated%20For%20Promotion&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/03\/white-house-pentagon-wont-say-why-admiral-who-allowed-drag-shows-on-navy-ship-was-nominated-for-promotion\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>President Trump recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stripes.com\/branches\/navy\/2025-06-24\/7th-fleet-nomination-buzz-donnelly-18232720.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recommended<\/a> Rear Admiral Michael &ldquo;Buzz&rdquo; Donnelly, who is known for allowing drag shows on his ship when he was a captain, for promotion to command of the Navy&rsquo;s 7th fleet.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Adm[iral] Donnelly wasn&rsquo;t in drag himself, but any military leader will tell you he is responsible for everything that happens under his command,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/WilliamThibeau\/status\/1653799409530855424\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tweeted<\/a> William Thibeau, director of the American Military Project at the Claremont Institute&rsquo;s Center for the American Way of Life.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-230774182\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>During his campaign, Trump promised to remove woke elements from the U.S. military and return the armed forces to their former glory. He even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=G-dpIHm8C1Y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">punctuated<\/a> this campaign message with a video that spliced clips of <em>Full Metal Jacket <\/em>(the military under Trump) with clips of Admiral Rachel Levine and Navy drag queen &ldquo;Harpy Daniels&rdquo; (the military under Biden).<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Harpy Daniels,&rdquo; whose real name is Joshua Kelly, is an active-duty sailor and drag performer who claims to be nonbinary. He was <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2023\/05\/01\/us-navy-drag-queen-recruitment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">made<\/a> the Navy&rsquo;s digital ambassador in 2022. In 2017 and 2018, Kelly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/feature\/nbc-out\/navy-drag-queen-harpy-daniels-serving-looks-country-n905056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">performed<\/a> drag onboard the USS Ronald Reagan in Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Department events. Donnelly captained the ship at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Now Donnelly is up for promotion, nominated by President Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Donnelly is a career aviation officer who has previously <a href=\"https:\/\/news.usni.org\/2025\/06\/23\/pentagon-announces-new-flag-nominees-including-commanders-of-5th-7th-fleets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">commanded<\/a> Strike Fighter Squadron 154, the USS Denver<em>, <\/em>the USS Ronald Reagan<em>, <\/em>Carrier Strike Group 5, and U.S. Naval Forces Korea. He is currently the head of the Chief of Naval Operations&rsquo; Air Warfare directorate. If promoted, he would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stripes.com\/branches\/navy\/2025-06-24\/7th-fleet-nomination-buzz-donnelly-18232720.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">command<\/a> up to 70 ships, 150 aircraft, and more than 27,000 sailors.<\/p>\n<p>While his experience is extensive, Donnelly&rsquo;s allowance of drag aboard the USS Ronald Reagan is directly opposed to Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth&rsquo;s vision for the U.S. military. Since his appointment, Hegseth has <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/5137421-hegseth-ban-on-transgender-troops\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reinstituted<\/a> Trump&rsquo;s ban on recruiting trans-identifying individuals and is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/hegseth-orders-deadline-trans-service-members-leave-military-out-dod\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">removing<\/a> members of the military who identify as transgender.<\/p>\n<p>Trump and Hegseth also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/politics\/387246\/trump-says-he-wants-to-get-rid-of-woke-generals-he-can\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">promised<\/a> to fire woke generals and admirals.<\/p>\n<p>One of Donnelly&rsquo;s previous promotions was temporarily <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailysignal.com\/2023\/05\/19\/tuberville-blocking-promotion-navy-captain-who-allowed-drag-shows-uss-ronald-reagan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blocked<\/a> by Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., in 2023 for unrelated reasons. Tuberville vowed to block all military nominations until the Pentagon rescinded a policy that offered paid leave and reimbursement of travel expenses for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kirbys-veteran-rebuff-confirms-white-houses-disdain-for-military\/\" title=\"Kirby\u2019s Veteran Rebuff Confirms White House\u2019s Disdain For ...\">service members&#038;rsquo<\/a>; abortions, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/05\/us\/politics\/tommy-tuberville-military-promotions.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lifted<\/a> his block on all but the most senior promotions after significant pressure.<\/p>\n<p>The White House did not respond to The Federalist&rsquo;s request for comment. The Secretary of Defense&rsquo;s Office referred The Federalist to Navy Public Affairs, which did not respond.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Jacqueline Annis-Levings is a correspondent for the Federalist. She is a rising junior at Patrick Henry College, where she is majoring in English.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Jacqueline Annis-Levings<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JacqLevings\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@JacqLevings<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/jacquelineannislevings\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/admiral-michael-donnelly\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Admiral Michael Donnelly<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/department-of-defense\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Department of Defense<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/drag-queen\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Drag Queen<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/drag-shows\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">drag shows<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/harpy-daniels\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Harpy Daniels<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/joshua-kelley\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Joshua Kelley<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Pete Hegseth<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/promotion\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">promotion<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/u-s-navy\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">U.S. Navy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/woke-military\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">woke military<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Trump recently endorsed Rear Admiral Michael &#8220;Buzz&#8221; Donnelly, recognized for permitting drag shows on his ship<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3848,"featured_media":2455297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/the-aircraft-carrier-uss-ronald-reagan-cvn-76-is-06fb81-1024.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[58378,11570,58379,39947,6758],"class_list":["post-2455296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-admiral-nomination","tag-dod","tag-lgbtq-representation","tag-military-policy","tag-navy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/the-aircraft-carrier-uss-ronald-reagan-cvn-76-is-06fb81-1024.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3848"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2455296"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2455300,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455296\/revisions\/2455300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2455297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2455296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2455296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2455296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}