Hung Cao to be next United States Under Secretary of the Navy
WASHINGTON () — , who unsuccessfully ran for the Virginia Senate seat last year, will be the next United States Under Secretary of the Navy.
President Donald Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform Thursday night, saying that Cao is the 'embodiment of the American Dream.'
'As a refugee to our Great Nation, Hung worked tirelessly to make proud the Country that gave his family a home,' Trump's post said in part. 'With Hung's experience both in combat, and in the Pentagon, he will get the job done.'
'They should be sent back where they came from': Gov. Youngkin deputizes Virginia State Police to help ICE enforcement
Cao was born in Vietnam before arriving in the U.S. in 1975 as a refugee. He went on to serve in the U.S. Navy as a special operations officer doing tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
He ran unsuccessfully for Congress two years ago and then ran unsuccessfully against Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) for the Virginia Senate seat in the November 2024 election, despite Trump's endorsement.
Cao stirred up controversy during the Virginia Senate Debate against Kaine with his
'When you are using a drag queen to recruit for the Navy, that's not the people we want,' he said during the debate. 'We need alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them and ask for seconds.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sen. Mike Lee faces criticism over posts on Minnesota shooting
Republican Sen. Mike Lee is facing criticism over his social media posts about the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband -- with one Democratic senator calling the posts "reprehensible." On Sunday night -- a day after a masked gunman disguised as a police officer shot and killed Democratic State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark at their Minnesota home -- the Utah Republican made posts referencing the attack and featuring images of Vance Boelter, the suspect in the shooting. The first post was captioned "This is what happens When Marxists don't get their way" and the second says "Nightmare on Waltz street," seemingly blaming Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for the shootings -- which the governor called an "act of targeted political violence." The posts have now been deleted from his account. MORE: Top House Democrats call for more funding for security following Minnesota shootings Hours later, on his official Senate account, Lee condemned the attacks. "These hateful attacks have no place in Utah, Minnesota, or anywhere in America. Please join me in condemning this senseless violence, and praying for the victims and their families," Lee wrote. Lee's posts prompted immediate backlash from Democrats who condemned Lee for making them. MORE: Chilling details emerge in Minnesota shootings as Vance Boelter faces federal charges: 'Stuff of nightmares' "To attempt to politicize this tragedy is absolutely unacceptable. This rhetoric from elected officials is beyond dangerous and incites even more violence," Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said on the Senate floor Monday. "It is reprehensible, and it must be called out -- on both sides of the aisle -- both sides of the aisle. Because in the land of the free and the home of the brave, everyone should feel safe expressing their political views -- and we must never do so in a way that condones violence or intimidation." Former RNC Chair Michael Steele told Lee to "grow the hell up" in a post on X. Leaving a meeting at the Capitol Monday night, Lee ignored questions from reporters about the posts. ABC News has reached out to his office for comment. The attacks have prompted swift condemnation from Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill and around the country -- with many urging elected officials to turn down heated rhetoric. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar condemned the 'horrible attack' and said on Sunday that 'this is a very bad environment, and we need to bring the tone down." House Speaker Mike Johnson said 'such horrific political violence has no place in our society, and every leader must unequivocally condemn it.'
CNN
11 minutes ago
- CNN
Inside Trump's decision to bail on the G7 early: A Middle East crisis and a distaste for group projects
It only took a few hours of summitry in the Canadian woods on Monday for President Donald Trump to decide he'd rather be elsewhere. Returning to Washington on an overnight flight, Trump attributed his decision to abruptly abandon the Group of 7 summit to operational security, suggesting there could be prying ears among the fir trees listening to his secret conversations. 'I don't believe in telephones, because people like you listen to them,' he told reporters on Air Force One. 'Being on the scene is much better, and we did everything I had to do at the G7.' Everything he had to do, yes. But not quite everything his counterparts had planned for him at the first international conference of his second term, where attempts to avoid open rupture were almost immediately scuttled the moment Trump first appeared before cameras to object to an 11-year-old decision to eject Russia from the group. Back in Washington on Tuesday, Trump was planning to meet with national security officials in the White House Situation Room to discuss the situation in the Middle East. He said as he was flying home he was seeking a 'real end' to the conflict rather than a ceasefire, and described himself as 'not too much in the mood to negotiate.' His vice president wrote on X that Trump 'may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment,' hinting at increased US involvement in the escalating Israel-Iran conflict. And Trump issued a series of afternoon posts on Truth Social that seemed to take a more menacing posture toward Iran, noting the US knew the supreme leader's location and calling for 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!' Though he initially framed his departure from Alberta as a matter of great urgency, he told reporters heading back to Washington that the picture would be clearer on Israel's intentions 'over the next two days.' If there was a imminent and specific reason for his abrupt departure, he and aides didn't reveal it. If one thing was clear, it was Trump's belief that the Middle East crisis wouldn't be resolved in the woods of Canada. Though he was surrounded by his foreign counterparts, Trump appeared to give little weight to the idea of collective action, believing instead it was his decisions – and his alone – that could determine the fate of the region. A day earlier, European leaders had been scrambling to complete a joint leaders' statement calling for de-escalation between Israel and Iran. They'd met resistance from US officials, who objected to some of the language in the draft and signaled that Trump would not sign on, officials familiar with the matter said. By the time a leaders' dinner rolled around late Monday — hours after Trump announced he would be departing a day early — some of the language in the statement had been watered down. With some urging from his counterparts over their meal, Trump said he would sign off, two US officials said. But as he returned to Washington, he seemed mostly uninterested in the details. He said he hadn't read the document. Never one for group meetings, nor particularly fond of rustic lodges, Trump had wavered on attending this week's G7 at all. Organizers took pains to adjust the schedule and expectations to meet Trump's preferences, Western officials said. Instead of a lengthy joint communiqué to issue at the summit's conclusion, shorter statements on individual topics were prepared in the hopes a few disputed lines would not scupper a broader show of unity. And instead of stacking the agenda with back-to-back group sessions, which even presidents before Trump have described as tedious, time was left for more lively one-on-ones that would allow leaders to engage Trump informally. The goal: don't let Trump get bored. That, many European officials believe, is when disaster can strike. Trump's aides said before the summit began that foreign leaders were scrambling to meet him, in part to make their case on trade deals that could avoid punishing new tariffs next month. And it did appear as if the line to engage Trump stretched well out the door of the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney began by wishing Trump a happy birthday. Other leaders came armed with gifts. The president of the European Council, António Costa, handed Trump a Portugal shirt signed by soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Trade — the topic Trump came to Canada to discuss — was indeed discussed. After avoiding her for months, Trump finally sat for talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as they work out terms of a trade deal. And he was eager to showcase a new trade pact with the United Kingdom, though he mistakenly identified it as an agreement with the European Union and the papers fell all over the ground as he was showing them to reporters. 'A very important document,' Prime Minister Keir Starmer deadpanned after bending down to scoop up the signed agreement. But all of the individual attention was not enough to keep Trump in Canada. By mid-afternoon, it was clear to aides he wanted to leave early, a White House official said. The crisis in the Middle East had preoccupied the president, who constantly asked for updates amid the meetings, the official said. 'As soon as I leave here, we're going to be doing something. But I have to leave here,' he said during his appearance with Starmer, suggesting he was under pressure to depart. Trump's counterparts tried to take the news in stride. 'I am very grateful for the president's presence and I fully understand why he is leaving,' Carney said as he and Trump departed the summit's ritual family photo. French President Emmanuel Macron described Trump's early departure as a positive sign, saying there had been an offer 'to get a ceasefire and to then kick-start broader discussions' between Iran and Israel. Trump denied that as he was departing, calling Macron 'publicity seeking' and misinformed. 'Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong,' Trump wrote as his plane was taxiing in Calgary, having just left Macron and the other leaders behind in the mountains. In the sky above the airport, a plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — who had been planning to meet Trump on Tuesday — was waiting to land. The two men did not cross paths.
The Hill
11 minutes ago
- The Hill
No tax on overtime: Senate GOP's bill could limit proposed tax break
(NEXSTAR) — Last month, the House passed the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' a legislative package that combines tax breaks, spending cuts, border security funding and other priorities central to President Trump's agenda. On Monday, Americans got a glimpse at the Senate GOP's version of the 'big, beautiful bill' when the Finance Committee unveiled portions of its provisions. Broadly speaking, the committee's version of the budget bill would make permanent many of the core elements of the 2017 tax cuts while scaling back additional cuts from the House's version, The Hill explained Monday. Among the provisions outlined by Senate Republicans is one targeting taxes on overtime pay. In the House bill, the tax break would remove income taxes on the overtime pay premium for over 80 million hourly workers. For qualifying overtime, this would be a temporary full deduction of the overtime pay employees receive, ending after 2027. Under the current version of the Senate's bill, however, overtime pay would be deductible up to $12,500 or $25,000 for joint filers through 2028, The Hill reports. Tax breaks on tipping and car loan interest would also be capped. A scaled-back take on the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' isn't much of a surprise; some Senate Republicans had expressed frustration over the legislation, saying it needed deeper cuts. It's worth noting that, if the no-tax-on-overtime provision remains in the bill, it would not give way to a larger paycheck after working extra hours. Instead, because it is a deduction, employees would claim the overtime pay on their taxes during the following year. Qualifying for overtime pay may even be difficult, depending on an employee's work industry. Firefighters, for example, have to work 53 hours a week before qualifying for overtime, Edward Kelly, general president for the International Association of Fire Fighters, said in a statement obtained by NBC News last month. The Tax Foundation said last year that exempting overtime from income tax, then a campaign promise of Trump's, could encourage more employees to want to work overtime hours. It could, similarly, cause employers to 'be more aggressive to contain overtime requests as total labor costs rise.' The Congressional Budget Office warned that exempting overtime pay from income taxes could lead to $124 billion in lost tax revenue. It's too soon to say how fast the bill could pass in the Senate, and what tweaks could be made. Trump's big bill is the centerpiece of his domestic policy agenda, a hodgepodge of GOP priorities all rolled into what he calls the 'beautiful bill' that Republicans are trying to swiftly pass over unified opposition from Democrats — a tall order for the slow-moving Senate. Fundamental to the package is the extension of some $4.5 trillion in tax breaks approved during Trump's first term, in 2017, that are expiring this year if Congress fails to act. There are also new ones, including no taxes on tips, as well as more than $1 trillion in program cuts. After the House passed its version, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would add $2.4 trillion to the nation's deficits over the decade, and leave 10.9 million more people without health insurance, due largely to the proposed new work requirements and other changes. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
