'Slap in the face': NAACP rips Trump over aircraft carrier name

Key Points:

• Black community leaders criticized the U.S. Navy's reported plan to rename an aircraft carrier from USS Doris Miller, honoring WWII Black hero Doris Miller, to USS Donald Trump, calling it disrespectful to military service members.
• Doris Miller, a Black Navy enlisted sailor who heroically manned an anti-aircraft gun during the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack despite no formal training, had long been advocated for the Medal of Honor but was awarded the Navy Cross instead, amid claims of racial bias.
• The Navy announced in 2020 it would name the fourth Gerald R. Ford-class carrier after Miller, making it the first carrier named for an African American, but recent reports suggest a potential name change before the ship’s 2026 keel-laying ceremony.
• Congressional leaders and civil rights advocates condemned the possible renaming, emphasizing Miller’s symbolic importance in recognizing African American contributions to U.S. military history, while the Navy reportedly plans to name another warship after Miller and recommend him for the Medal of Honor.
• The White House and Pentagon declined to comment on the name change, and Miller’s family was not immediately available for comment; the carrier CVN-81 is expected to be completed by 2034.