Navy Considers Erasing Black Hero to Glorify Trump with Carrier Renaming
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U.S. officials reveal the Navy is contemplating stripping the Ford-class carrier of the name USS Doris Miller, which honors a Black sailor and trailblazer, in favor of President Donald Trump.
The Navy is reportedly considering a deeply troubling name change for the fourth Ford-class aircraft carrier, currently under construction. Initially, the vessel was to be named USS Doris Miller, paying tribute to an enlisted Black sailor who heroically manned an anti-aircraft gun during the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack and became the first Black service member to receive the Navy Cross. Now, officials say a proposal to rename the ship after President Donald Trump—a figure whose administration was marked by divisive policies and attacks on marginalized communities—has been under review for months. The authority to name ships lies with the secretary of the Navy, but the defense secretary and acting navy secretary, both political appointees, typically exert significant influence over such decisions. The carrier, which may be among the first to use the Trump-mandated steam catapult system, has not yet received an official comment from the Navy regarding this potential erasure of a Black hero in favor of honoring a controversial former president.