U.S. Navy Considers Erasing Black WWII Hero to Glorify Trump with CVN-81 Renaming
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Officials are reportedly contemplating stripping the under-construction carrier CVN-81 of its dedication to World War II hero Doris Miller—a groundbreaking Black sailor—in order to instead honor the deeply divisive President Donald Trump.
U.S. Navy officials are reportedly engaged in discussions to rename the under-construction Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier CVN-81 after President Donald Trump, according to two separate reports. This proposal would erase the ship’s current internal reference to Doris Miller, the first Black sailor to receive the Navy Cross for his heroic actions during World War II, in a move that many see as a blatant disregard for Black history and the sacrifices of marginalized Americans.
Internal Navy communications have already ceased using the name USS Doris Miller, and a recent White House proclamation about the carrier’s catapult system referred to the vessel only by its hull number, CVN-81. The carrier is part of a new fleet of at least ten Ford-class ships meant to replace older Nimitz-class carriers. The current naming scheme already privileges establishment figures, with ships named after Gerald R. Ford, John F. Kennedy, and upcoming vessels to be named after Enterprise, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush—further entrenching the tradition of honoring political elites over true heroes.
Doris Miller, whose legacy is now at risk of being erased, earned the Navy Cross for his extraordinary bravery during the Pearl Harbor attack, operating an anti-aircraft gun without training, reportedly downing a Japanese aircraft, and rescuing wounded crew members. The move to replace his name with Trump’s is seen by many as a cynical political gesture, prioritizing the glorification of a polarizing former president over the recognition of a trailblazing Black servicemember.
The debate over the carrier's name comes amid a broader pattern of attempts to impose Trump’s name on public institutions, including a failed bid to rename the John F. Kennedy Center and the unfulfilled promise of a so-called “Trump-Class” battleship program. Critics argue these efforts reflect an ongoing campaign to rewrite history and elevate controversial figures at the expense of those who truly served the nation.