A Pentagon aide’s sharp tongue has landed him in hot water with Trump loyalists.
Ricky Buria, a top aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been slamming President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, causing a stir among the MAGA faithful, the New York Post reported.
Buria, a 43-year-old Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, serves as Hegseth’s de facto chief of staff, a rare holdover from the Biden administration. He’s been a key player in the Pentagon since his days as a junior aide to former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Yet, his vocal criticism of Trump’s policies has sparked a fierce backlash.
In February 2025, Buria called Trump’s use of military aircraft for migrant repatriation and Guantanamo Bay deportations a “dumb waste of money.” He’s also trashed Vance’s foreign policy as “wackamamie crazy” and “isolationist.” Apparently, subtlety isn’t in his playbook.
Buria’s influence grew when he encouraged Hegseth to fire three top aides in April 2025, including non-interventionist Dan Caldwell. “He said, ‘These guys need to go,’” one source noted, revealing Buria’s ruthless streak. Such moves have painted him as a schemer, sidelining MAGA loyalists.
The White House, sensing trouble, blocked Buria’s permanent chief of staff appointment, citing his misalignment with Trump’s agenda. “All political appointees go through a vetting process, and anyone with Ricky’s past would not make it through step one,” a source quipped. Actions, it seems, have consequences.
Buria’s clashes extend beyond policy. On March 5, 2025, he demanded a seat on a helicopter during a border trip with Vance’s team but was denied due to limited space. His tantrum didn’t win him any friends in Trumpworld.
Buria’s disregard for protocol is glaring. He’s been spotted bringing Hegseth’s personal cellphone into a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility at least a dozen times, flouting security rules. “Ricky has both custody of and access to the secretary’s phone,” a source said, hinting at his unsettling control.
His ambitions don’t stop at the Pentagon. Buria, who donated $100 to a Democratic candidate in 2023, has openly discussed running for Florida governor as a Democrat. “He made it very clear that he wore a different political stripe,” a source revealed, exposing his true colors.
In April 2025, Buria submitted retirement paperwork from the Marine Corps, eyeing a political appointment. His cozy ties with Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, whom he accompanied to their Tennessee home, have fueled suspicions. Loyalty, it appears, is a flexible concept for Buria.
Buria’s role in ousting aides like Caldwell, Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll has drawn ire. He even urged Jennifer Hegseth to push her husband to fire them, a move one source called weaponizing “his closeness to the secretary and his wife.” This isn’t ambition—it’s sabotage.
In late February or early March 2025, Buria handed his cellphone to Jennifer Hegseth to prove his loyalty amid distrust. “No, Jen looked through his phone, and there were no Lloyd Austin messages,” a source recounted. The gesture reeks of desperation, not devotion.
Buria’s defenders call him “incredibly intelligent and hardworking,” but his critics aren’t buying it. “This is without question the worst in a string of bad judgment calls recently by Secretary Hegseth,” one source told The Post. Hardworking or not, Buria’s agenda smells of disloyalty.
Buria’s China hawk stance contrasts with his disdain for Trump’s border policies, which he called a waste of resources. “He hated and loathed the border mission,” a source said, emphasizing his obsession with China. Such priorities clash with the administration’s focus, stirring unease.
His public moves, like praising Biden’s Pentagon spokeswoman on LinkedIn and attending a Mark Milley portrait unveiling on January 12, 2025, scream defiance. Add his March 21, 2025, meeting with Elon Musk, and Buria’s networking game is undeniable. But to what end?
Five aides, including Caldwell and John Ullyot, left or were fired in April 2025, with some suspected of leaks. Ullyot’s April 20, 2025, Politico op-ed slammed Pentagon leadership, echoing wider concerns. Buria’s rise, it seems, is a symptom of deeper dysfunction.
