*Cory Booker is moving to stop President Donald Trump’s name from potentially replacing Black World War II hero Doris Miller’s on a future U.S. aircraft carrier, introducing three bills aimed at protecting the historic designation.
The New Jersey Democratic senator introduced the measures after two U.S. officials told NBC News that Navy leadership had discussed changing the proposed name of CVN-81, the future USS Doris Miller, to honor Trump instead. No final renaming has been announced.
The potential switch carries unusual historical weight: the Navy announced Miller’s designation during Trump’s first term, and the carrier would be the first named for a Black service member and an enlisted sailor.
Booker Takes Aim at a Trump Name Change
Booker’s three bills approach the controversy from different directions. One would prohibit federal funds from being used to change CVN-81 from the USS Doris Miller. Another would prohibit naming or renaming a Navy vessel for a sitting president or vice president. The third seeks greater congressional transparency in the Navy’s ship-naming process.
“Doris Miller didn’t wait for permission to be a hero,” Booker said in a statement. “He ran toward the fire at Pearl Harbor and fought for a country that wouldn’t even let him train on the gun he used to defend it.”
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Booker accused the administration of seeking to “erase him” and put Trump’s name on the massive warship, adding: “No president should ever christen or rename a warship in his own honor, and no American hero should be erased to make room for one.”
EURweb Has Followed the Threat to Miller’s Honor
The legislation marks the latest chapter in a story EURweb has followed from the carrier’s historic naming to the possibility that Miller could lose the honor.
EURweb reported in August that Navy officials were discussing whether to give CVN-81 another name, with Trump reportedly among the possibilities. At that point, the Pentagon had announced no change.
The designation dates to 2020, when EURweb covered the Navy’s announcement honoring Miller for his heroism during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Miller was serving as a mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia in the segregated Navy. During the Dec. 7, 1941, attack, he helped move wounded sailors before manning an anti-aircraft gun despite having no training on the weapon.
His actions earned him the Navy Cross, making him the first Black American to receive the honor.
The Fight Now Goes Beyond One Aircraft Carrier
Booker’s legislation turns the dispute over Miller into a broader question about presidential names on Navy vessels.
The proposed restriction covering sitting presidents and vice presidents would extend beyond Trump and CVN-81 if enacted, creating a statutory boundary for future administrations.
The measures are proposed legislation, however, and do not themselves establish that the carrier has been renamed.
For now, Doris Miller’s historic designation remains in place. What began with the Navy’s 2020 decision to honor a Black sailor who fought for his country while serving in a segregated military has moved from a reported potential name change to an actual congressional effort to keep his name on the carrier.
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