Prior to the pier events, the president and the first lady visited the United States Navy’s 10th and final Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier USS George H.W. Bush.
President Donald Trump commemorated the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy in a speech at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday that seemed very much like his campaign rallies. The event even closed out with his de facto theme song, “YMCA” by the Village People. It may have been a missed opportunity to play the group’s follow-up, “In the Navy.”
“Let’s face it, this is a rally,” Trump told the approximately 10,000 sailors who were present in their dress-white uniforms.
In a break with tradition, there was no attempt to keep politics out of the event—with Trump blaming Democratic lawmakers for the government shutdown that has resulted in military personnel not being paid until the government reopens.
“I want you to know that despite the current Democrat induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny. Don’t worry about it,” Trump said to cheers from the crowd, according to a post from the Associated Press.
In attendance with the president were First Lady Melania Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, and US Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a former Navy rear admiral who was a White House doctor during Trump’s first presidential term.
Trump’s speech to the sailors came less than a week after he and Secretary Hegseth held an all-hands-on-deck “pep rally” with senior military leadership at Marine Corps Base Quantico.
The Titans of the Sea Presidential Review
Prior to the pier events, the president and the first lady visited the United States Navy’s 10th and final Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), where they witnessed the Titans of the Sea Presidential Review, one of several events taking place around the country to demonstrate the capabilities of the US Navy. CVN-77, named for the 41st president and former director of central intelligence, completed a two-year overhaul in August 2020 and was deployed to the Mediterranean in 2022-23.
On Sunday, the USS George H.W. Bush, which also aired live on the piers, presented a showcase of many of the service’s most advanced ships, aircraft, and other weapons systems. It highlighted CVN-77, the Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine USS Iowa (SSN-797), and multiple Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, including those that saw service during the past deployments to the Middle East and in drug interdiction missions in support of border enhancement patrols.
“Navy SEALs assigned to Naval Special Warfare Group 2 executed a fast-rope insertion and boarding event,” the US Navy announced, adding that “Aircraft from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 filled the skies above George H. W. Bush with a formation flyover, targeting drills, and several aerial demonstrations showcasing the unmatched capabilities of Naval Aviation.”
In addition to Trump’s speech, Secretary Phelan also addressed the sailors and others in attendance.
“Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Continental Congress made a bold bet: who controls the seas, controls the future. This was the birth of our Navy, a testament to our historic significance,” said Phelan. “Today, we showed the world what American seapower means: deadly precision, meticulous execution, raw power and the will to use it.”
The entire month of October will mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Navy, with the main celebration, Homecoming 250, currently scheduled to take place from October 9 to 16 in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey.
The actual date of the anniversary is October 13, when the Continental Navy was founded in 1775, serving as the precursor of the modern United States Navy.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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