Congressional Black Caucus condemns U.S. Navy’s proposal to rename aircraft after Trump, striking Black sailor’s legacy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Congressional Black Caucus is condemning the U.S. Navy’s proposal to rename a future aircraft carrier for President Trump that was designated to honor a black World War II hero.  

In 2020, the Navy named the future USS Doris “Dorie” Miller to honor a Black World War II hero and Navy cook who helped carry wounded sailors to safety during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Miller also then shot down one plane, despite not having any prior  gunnery training, according to Navy records. Miller received the Navy Cross for his bravery in 1942 and was killed in action in 1943 when his ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.  

The future USS Doris Miller aircraft was designated to be the first U.S. aircraft carrier named for a black enlisted sailor. Miller was named Doris for the midwife who delivered him at birth, convinced before his birth that the baby would be a girl, according to Wikipedia.  

The ship named for Miller is currently under construction and is not scheduled to be delivered until 2034.

The Congressional Black Caucus blasted the Navy’s proposal to rename the vessel, criticizing the “ongoing attempts by the Trump administration to erase Black history and appease Donald Trump’s relentless ego.”

While aircraft carriers are frequently named after former U.S. presidents, no U.S. Navy vessel has been named after a sitting president, NBC News has reported. 

Today, (Sept. 1), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement:

“Doris “Dorie” Miller was a U.S. Navy sailor who served as a mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia, helping carry wounded sailors to safety during the attack on Pearl Harbor. For his valiant efforts and extraordinary courage, Dorie Miller became the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross, the Navy’s second-highest honor, and was nominated for the Medal of Honor.

“Dorie Miller exemplifies true American heroism, as well as the vital role Black Americans played in World War II, even as they faced discrimination at home. Reports that U.S. Navy leadership is discussing renaming a Navy aircraft carrier after President Donald Trump instead of Dorie Miller are not simply about the name of a ship. They are about who we call a hero, whose sacrifice we remember, and what history we pass on to the next generation.

“We also cannot divorce this conversation from the deliberate and ongoing attempts by the Trump administration to erase Black history and appease Donald Trump’s relentless ego.

“Any decision to dishonor the legacy of Dorie Miller and the Black service members who have served our nation cannot be tolerated. Black history is not a footnote and cannot be erased; it is an integral part of American history.”