President Trump said Tuesday that he had no part in the resignation of acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who stepped down after he fired, then public scolded a warship commander who alerted military brass of a coronavirus outbreak on his craft. 

“I had no role in that,” Trump said at a daily White House coronavirus task force briefing. “He didn’t have to resign. I wouldn’t have asked him to.”

The president suggested Modly resigned earlier Tuesday to end a controversy hurting the country. 

The ship commander, Capt. Brett Crozier, of the USS Roosevelt, informed the Navy officials about the outbreak in a letter that he purportedly let get into the hands of the media.

Moldy last week fired Crozier, then fueled the controversy Monday with a speech to the Roosevelt crew in which he said Crozier was either “too naive” or “too stupid” to command a warship. 

Trump again on Tuesday praised Crozier but made clear that the letter – and allowing it to be made public – were mistakes. 

"The whole thing was very unfortunate,” the president said. “The captain didn’t have to write a letter. He didn’t have to be Ernest Hemingway. He made a mistake. He had a bad day.”