The U.S. Navy has been internally discussing whether to rename a future aircraft carrier currently honoring a Black World War II hero who fought at Pearl Harbor, with President Trump's name reportedly among the replacements under consideration.
For months, Navy officials have referred to the Gerald R. Ford-class carrier CVN-81 by its hull number rather than its designated name, the future USS Doris Miller, according to anonymous sources who spoke to CNN. No formal decision has been announced, and the Navy's Office of Information told Nexstar's KWKT in Waco, Texas, that it has "nothing to share at this time." But the internal shift away from using Miller's name has already alarmed his family, who told CNN they were not informed in advance about any possibility of the name being removed.
The carrier was named for Miller in January 2020 during a ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. If completed under that name, it would be the first U.S. aircraft carrier named for a Black American, and the first named in honor of a sailor for actions performed while serving in the enlisted ranks.
Miller was born in Waco on Oct. 12, 1919. He joined the Navy in 1939 and was serving as a Mess Attendant 3rd Class aboard the battleship USS West Virginia on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japanese forces struck Pearl Harbor. During the attack, Miller helped move wounded sailors to safety, then manned an unmanned anti-aircraft gun and opened fire on Japanese planes, despite having received no formal training on the weapon.
For that, he became the first Black American to receive the Navy Cross.
Miller never came home. In November 1943, the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay was torpedoed and sunk during operations in the Pacific. Miller was killed in action. He was 24 years old.
A Knox-class frigate, the USS Miller, carried his name from 1973 until it was decommissioned in 1991. The January 2020 naming of CVN-81 marked a far larger honor, a supercarrier, the most powerful class of warship the Navy fields. Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly presided over the ceremony at Pearl Harbor and framed the choice in broad terms.
"In selecting this name, we honor the contributions of all our enlisted ranks, past and present, men and women, of every race, religion and background."
That was six years ago. Now the name appears to be in jeopardy, and the Navy will not say why.
The source reporting does not identify who inside the Navy is driving the renaming discussions, how many alternative names are under consideration beyond Trump's, or what rationale officials have offered internally. The formal process by which a vessel's name is changed has not been described publicly in connection with CVN-81. Official Navy historical records still identify the ship as the future USS Doris Miller.
What is clear is that Miller's family learned about the potential change from a news report, not from the Navy. That alone raises questions about how the service handles the legacy of a man who gave his life for the country, and who earned his place on a carrier hull the hard way, under enemy fire with no training and no rank that entitled him to touch the gun he used.
President Trump has not commented publicly on the discussions. No member of Congress has been cited responding to the report. The construction and commissioning status of CVN-81 is not specified in available reporting, leaving open the question of how far along the ship is and how consequential a name change would be at this stage.
Trump has been a central figure in military and defense policy debates throughout his administration. He recently backed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after internal disagreements over munitions policy, and his public statements on a range of issues, from foreign leaders to domestic law enforcement, continue to shape the political landscape.
Aircraft carriers have historically been named for former presidents, admirals, and other figures whose legacies were settled before the honor was conferred. Naming one for a sitting president would be unusual and politically charged, regardless of the president involved. The Navy has not publicly explained whether this possibility is being treated as a serious proposal or one option among many.
The deeper issue is what gets erased. Miller's story is not a participation trophy. He acted under fire, saved lives, and fought back with a weapon he was never trained to use, in an era when Black sailors were largely confined to service roles. He died in combat less than two years later. The Navy itself chose to honor that record by putting his name on a supercarrier, the most visible ship class in the fleet.
Stripping that name without public explanation, without notifying the family, and without describing any formal process would send a message the Navy may not intend. Trump's supporters can rightly argue that a president deserves recognition for his service to the country. But that argument does not require taking the name off a ship that honors a man who bled for his country at Pearl Harbor and never made it home.
The president's connection to military supporters and veterans runs deep. A recent story involving a veteran supporter in Escondido underscored how personally many service members and their families feel about Trump. That loyalty is real. So is the service record of Doris Miller.
If the Navy wants to name a carrier for Trump, it can build another one. There is no shortage of hull numbers. There is, however, only one Doris Miller, and the Navy already decided he earned his place.
Honoring a president should not require dishonoring a hero.
