President Donald Trump said Thursday he "couldn't care less" whether a US Navy destroyer bears the name of his late rival John McCain, but insisted he would not have ordered hiding the vessel from view during his Japan trip. US media reported that efforts were made to obscure the USS John S. McCain's name during Trump's visit to an American military facility in Japan on Tuesday, accusations also denied by the Pentagon.
"I don't know what happened, I wasn't involved. I would not have done that," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about the incident. "I wasn't a fan of John McCain and never will be," Trump added, acknowledging he was "very angry" with the senator, a fellow Republican, for blocking Trump's 2017 effort to dismantle the existing health care law.
"But I certainly couldn't care less whether or not there's a boat named after his father." Crew serving aboard the 154-meter (505-foot) vessel, whose uniforms bear the ship's name, were prevented from attending a speech Trump delivered from a neighboring ship, the reports said. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Thursday denied approving plans to hide the destroyer, which was originally named after McCain's grandfather and father - both US Navy admirals - and was rededicated to include senator McCain as a namesake.
The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story, said Shanahan was aware of concern about the ship's name and "approved measures to ensure it didn't interfere with the president's visit." But Shanahan, currently in Asia on a regional tour, denied any involvement.
"I never authorized and never approved any action around the movement or activity regarding that ship," he told reporters. He said he would "never dishonor the memory of a great American patriot like John McCain," and would "never disrespect the young men and women that crew that ship."