Pentagon Withdraws Promotion of Admiral Linked to Drag Shows

The Department of Defense has withdrawn its recommendation to promote Rear Admiral Michael Donnelly, just one week after declining to answer questions from The Federalist, as first reported by The Daily Wire.

“Secretary Hegseth has chosen to withdraw Admiral Donnelly’s nomination to lead [the] 7th fleet. The Secretary is thankful for his continued service and wishes him luck in his next position. The Department will open up nominations for the 7th fleet commander.”

Donnelly became a controversial figure for permitting drag performances aboard the USS Ronald Reagan during President Trump’s first term. The Federalist sought an explanation from the White House as to why Donnelly was still up for promotion, despite his perceived conflict with Trump’s military agenda, but received no reply. The outlet was then directed to Navy Public Affairs by the Secretary of Defense’s Office, which also failed to respond.

During his 2024 campaign, Trump pledged to purge the military of “woke” leaders and ideologies and restore its strength. He released a video comparing the military’s might under his leadership to what he described as a decline under President Biden, using scenes from Full Metal Jacket alongside footage of Admiral Rachel Levine and Navy drag queen “Harpy Daniels.”

“Harpy Daniels,” known offstage as Joshua Kelly, is a nonbinary sailor who was named a Navy digital ambassador in 2022. Kelly had performed drag during 2017 and 2018 aboard the USS Ronald Reagan as part of events organized by the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Department. Donnelly was the ship’s commanding officer at the time.

Donnelly has also commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 154, the USS Denver, Carrier Strike Group 5, and U.S. Naval Forces Korea. He currently heads the Chief of Naval Operations’ Air Warfare directorate. Had the promotion proceeded, Donnelly would have overseen the Navy’s largest overseas force — up to 70 ships, 150 aircraft, and more than 27,000 personnel — as commander of the 7th Fleet.

Since his appointment, Secretary Hegseth has followed through on Trump’s directives by enforcing a ban on the recruitment of individuals identifying as transgender and initiating efforts to remove them from the military.