President Trump nominated former Virginia Republican Senate candidate Hung Cao – an outspoken proponent of toughening up the standards for military service – to serve as the under secretary of the Navy on Thursday.
“Hung is the embodiment of the American Dream,” Trump said of his pick to serve as the second-highest ranking Navy official.
“As a refugee to our Great Nation, Hung worked tirelessly to make proud the Country that gave his family a home,” the president added. “He went to our amazing United States Naval Academy, and later earned his Master’s Degree in Physics.”
“Hung served in combat as a Special Operations Officer for twenty five years. With Hung’s experience both in combat, and in the Pentagon, he will get the job done. Congratulations to Hung, and his wonderful family!”
Cao, who ran a long-shot campaign to unseat Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in Virginia last year, went viral on social media after a debate with the incumbent in which he railed against “drag queens” and other diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the US military.
The retired Navy captain argued that the service branches should recruit “alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat ’em and ask for seconds.”
“Those are young men and women that are going to win wars,” Cao asserted
“When you’re using a drag queen to recruit for the Navy, that’s not the people we want,” he said.
Last month, Trump directed the military to scrap DEI initiatives implemented by former President Joe Biden.
Cao, whose Senate bid was endorsed by Trump, thanked the president for his nomination Thursday and tweeted, “It’s time to get to work.”
He will require Senate approval to serve in the role.
