Navy leadership is considering renaming an aircraft carrier under construction after President Donald Trump instead of honoring a heroic Black sailor who staffed an anti-aircraft gun during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ship, which was previously set to be named the USS Doris Miller in honor of Doris Miller, would be the first aircraft carrier named after a president. Two U.S. officials said discussions about changing the name have been ongoing for several months, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao involved in the decision-making process. The USS Doris Miller was originally set to be completed during Trump's first term.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The US Navy is considering renaming an aircraft carrier, currently set to be named the USS Doris Miller, after former President Donald Trump instead of honoring the heroic actions of Doris Miller, a Black enlisted sailor who received the Navy Cross for his bravery during World War II. Miller was the first Black service member to receive this honor and would have been the first aircraft carrier to bear the name of a Black and an enlisted sailor. The USS Doris Miller is still under construction, and discussions about changing the name have been ongoing for several months. Donald Trump has not been previously honored with a Navy ship's name in this way. The decision to name the carrier after Doris Miller was made during Trump's first term, but now the Navy is considering changing it to honor the former President. The move to rename the carrier would be a significant departure from the original plan, which recognized the bravery of Doris Miller who fought in the attack on Pearl Harbor and saved many lives.
Written for “Trump Aircraft Carrier Naming” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.35 for article 1803 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-31
Navy leadership is discussing renaming a Navy aircraft carrier after President Donald Trump, according to two U.S. officials.
uncertain
leadership → discuss → officials
The ship, which is still under construction, has been set to be named the USS Doris Miller in honor of an enlisted sailor who famously staffed an anti-aircraft gun during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, during World War II despite not having been trained on the weapon.
asserted
who → set → weapon
Miller, a mess attendant, grabbed the gun during the attack and is credited with shooting down at least one Japanese plane and dragging wounded U.S. sailors to safety.
asserted
Miller → grab → safety
Miller was the first Black service member to receive the Navy Cross — the Navy’s second-highest honor.
asserted
Miller → receive → Cross
CNN first reported the discussions to rename the aircraft carrier.
asserted
CNN → report → carrier
The USS Doris Miller would be the first aircraft carrier named after a Black and an enlisted sailor.
asserted
Miller → name → Black
The decision and the announcement to name the carrier after Miller were made during Trump’s first term.
asserted
decision → name → term
The two U.S. officials said discussion about changing the name has been ongoing for several months.
asserted
discussion → say → months
The Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the potential name change.
asserted
Navy → respond → change
The two officials said that Miller is now under consideration for the Medal of Honor but that it has not been approved by the White House.
asserted
it → say → House
Destroyers are often named after Medal of Honor recipients, but aircraft carriers are usually named after presidents.
asserted
carriers → name → presidents
Ship-naming authority lies with the Navy secretary, but defense secretaries are often deeply involved in decisions to name aircraft carriers, meaning the decision will be made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao.
asserted
decision → lie → Hegseth
The ship, the fourth Ford-class carrier for the Navy, could be among the first to have the Trump-ordered catapult launch system that uses steam rather than electromagnetic catapults.
uncertain
that → have → catapults
