"Corrective measures" taken after Trump flag display, Navy says
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The Navy has found that members of a special warfare unit violated regulations when their military vehicle displayed a Donald Trump presidential campaign flag while training in Kentucky.
Lt. Jacqueline Maxwell released a statement this week that said “corrective measures were taken with each individual based on their respective responsibility.”
The statement did not elaborate on what those corrective measures were.
The military convoy that displayed the flag in January belonged to a special warfare unit based in Virginia Beach. Images of a pro-Trump flag on a vehicle’s antenna then circulated on social media.
Several weeks ago, Maxwell told the Louisville Courier-Journal that the display wasn’t authorized.
“Yes, it was inappropriate,” Maxwell said, the newspaper reported last month. “It was unauthorized.”
News reports said the Navy has repeatedly warned sailors against appearing to endorse political candidates while on the job.
Not far from Virginia Beach on Thursday, President Trump delivered a speech in Newport News, Virginia, aboard the Gerald R. Ford -- a $12.9 billion warship that is expected to be commissioned this year after cost overruns and delays. Wearing a red USA cap, Trump saluted sailors as he arrived on the carrier.
After being introduced by Susan Ford Bales, daughter of former President Ford and sponsor of the ship, Mr. Trump began his speech by paying tribute to the U.S. Navy.
“American sailors are the best war-fighting sailors anywhere in the world and it’s not even close,” he said, calling the ship a “fitting tribute” to Ford.
Mr. Trump spoke about the greatness of the U.S. military and his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, and referenced his plans for additional defense spending.
