President-elect Donald Trump’s latest round of Cabinet nominations includes another Florida influence. He brought in businessman John Phelan to serve as his U.S. Secretary of the Navy.
Phelan, who never served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the agency, was a major donor to Trump’s reelection campaign. Phelan’s military connection stems from his membership on the board of Spirit of America, a military-themed nonprofit.
“John will be a tremendous force for our Navy members, and a steadfast leader in advancing my America First vision. He will put the business of the United States Navy above all else,” Trump said in a statement Tuesday evening.
Phelan is co-founder and chairman of Palm Beach-based private investment first Rugger Management, LLC. If confirmed, Phelan would be the first Navy secretary in 15 years without military experience.
Amy and John Phelan
Who is John Phelan?
John C. Phelan, born in 1964, received a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Phelan started as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs & Co. and rose to a series of finance positions, including vice president at the Equity Group, head of acquisitions for Zell-Merrill Lynch Real Estate Opportunity Funds and director at the investment firm ESL Partners.
In 1998, Phelan co-founded MSD Partners and MSD Capital LP to manage investments for Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies. Phelan is also co-founder and chairman of Rugger Management LLC, a private investment firm based in Palm Beach.
John is married to Amy Merriman Phelan, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and current philanthropist, and they have a daughter, Makenzie Moon Phelan, from Amy’s first marriage. The Phelans have homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Colorado and London.
Named one of ARTnews’ Top 200 Art Collectors in 2024, the Phelans display works by Andreas Gursky, Lisa Yuskavage, Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Jenny Holzer, Marilyn Minter and others in their homes in Colorado and Florida. Both Phelans are members of several museum boards and councils.
John Phelan hosted a fundraiser for the Trump campaign
In April, the Phelans hosted a $38 million Trump fundraiser at their Aspen home, with participation levels ranging from $25,000 to $500,000. Reportedly included Florida Congressman Byron Donalds, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, former Colorado Senator Cory Gardner, casino magnate Steve Wynn, billionaire businessman Thomas Peterffy and more, according to various media sources.
A 12-minute recording obtained by The Guardian showed Trump delivering a profanity-laced speech at the event about the dangers of waves of undocumented immigrants” and the efforts of “radical left-wing lunatics.” Trump told the crowd that this “could be the last election.” we once did,” said The Guardian. He also joked about Helen Comperatore, the widow of the man killed in Trump’s assassination attempt.
According to FEC records, “John W. Phelan” of MSD Capital in Palm Beach donated $834,600 to Trump’s joint fundraising committee, Trump 47 Committee Inc., a week before the fundraiser. In October, “John C. Phelan” of MSD Capital in Palm Beach donated $93,300.
This article originally appeared in the Palm Beach Post: Trump’s Navy Secretary John Phelan of Florida
