Former Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, who was ousted last year after opposing President Trump’s intervention in the discipline of a Navy SEAL accused of murder, said Friday that he is endorsing Michael Bloomberg in his White House bid.

“I have the utmost confidence that Mike will faithfully execute his duty as Commander in Chief,” Spencer said in a release, becoming the first Trump appointee to back the former New York City mayor.

He said Bloomberg would “uphold the Uniform Code of Military Justice” and “honor the service and ensure the equal treatment of all women and men in uniform.”

Spencer added that Bloomberg would “respect the advice of military advisers.”

“Secretary Spencer set an example for all Americans through his leadership and integrity. I’m grateful for his service to our country, and I’m honored to have his support,” Bloomberg said in a statement.

The two men on Friday are expected to address a group of military veterans and their families in Norfolk, Virginia, home to the world’s largest Navy base, where Bloomberg plans to unveil plans to support the armed forces, according to his campaign.

Spencer, who also served briefly as Trump’s acting defense secretary last year, condemned Trump’s acquittal of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher after his conviction for posing with the dead body of a teenage ISIS fighter.

He left the administration in November after Defense Secretary Mark Esper asked for his resignation.

In a letter to Trump, Spencer wrote that the president deserved a Navy secretary “who is aligned with his vision.”

“Unfortunately, it has become apparent that in this respect, I no longer share the same understanding with the Commander in Chief who appointed me,” he wrote.

Spencer then published an opinion piece in the Washington Post saying the president “has very little understanding of what it means to be in the military.”

On Nov. 21, Trump tweeted that Gallagher, who had been acquitted of murder in the case, should not be stripped of his SEAL trident insignia. The president had earlier intervened in Gallagher’s case to restore his rank of chief petty officer.