Navy weighs renaming aircraft carrier from Black war hero to Trump

Navy officials are weighing whether to strip the name of World War II hero Doris Miller from a new aircraft carrier under construction in Virginia and instead possibly name the ship for President Donald Trump, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The carrier was christened USS Doris Miller during Trump's first administration. The Navy announced the Ford-class ship would honor Miller during a ceremony on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2020. Discussions about renaming the vessel have been ongoing for most of the summer, sources said.

If renamed for Trump, the carrier would mark the unprecedented naming of a Navy vessel for a sitting president. No carrier in the U.S. Navy has ever been named for a sitting president.

Doris "Dorie" Miller was an enlisted sailor and mess attendant first class aboard the USS West Virginia during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Despite enemy strafing and bombing and facing serious fire, Miller assisted in moving his mortally wounded captain to safety. He then manned and operated a machine gun directed at enemy Japanese aircraft until ordered to leave the bridge. Miller had no formal training on the 50-caliber weapon. He reportedly shot down four to six Japanese bombers. For his actions, Miller was awarded the Navy Cross.

Miller, from Waco, Texas, enlisted in 1939. As a Black sailor, he was restricted to limited roles; mess attendant was one of the few positions accessible to Black service members at the time. He died at sea.

The USS Doris Miller would have been the first aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy named for an African-American service member.

The reported consideration of renaming the carrier has drawn criticism. One senator stated the ship "shouldn't be renamed at all," according to reports. Critics have characterized the potential move as "a slap in the face to every war hero and every service member who has worn the uniform."

CNN first reported the Navy's internal discussions about renaming the carrier, citing sources familiar with the matter. Two of those sources said conversations have included the possibility of naming it to honor Trump.