Donald Trump distances himself from report about White House order to move McCain warship ‘out of sight’ for his Japan trip
- Report says tarp was hung over the ship’s name ahead of Donald Trump’s trip to Japan and sailors were directed to remove coverings from the destroyer that bore its name
- Trump had a rocky relationship with John McCain, who died last year
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was unaware of any effort to move the USS John S. McCain that was stationed near the site of his recent speech in Japan.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House wanted the US Navy to move the ship named for the late Arizona senator “out of sight”, citing an email between US military officials.
The email to US Navy and US Air Force officials had a number of directives, including “USS John McCain needs to be out of sight” and asking them to “please confirm” that directive “will be satisfied”.
The newspaper said a tarp was hung over the ship’s name ahead of Trump’s trip and sailors were directed to remove coverings from the destroyer that bore its name.
When a Navy commander expressed surprise at the instruction, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command official answered, “First I heard of it as well,” the Journal reported. The official said he would talk to the White House Military Office to get more information about the directive, the newspaper reported.
The paper also said sailors assigned to the ship, who generally wear caps bearing its name, were given the day off during Trump’s visit to the nearby USS Wasp.