The Doris Miller carrier may never carry that name. Navy officials are reportedly weighing whether to name the vessel currently designated CVN-81 after President Trump instead of the World War II sailor whose actions at Pearl Harbor made him a national figure.

CNN and NBC News reported the internal discussions Thursday.

What Doris Miller Did

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Miller was a mess attendant second class aboard the battleship USS West Virginia, collecting laundry when the bombs began falling.

He went to the smoking deck, took control of an anti-aircraft gun he had never been trained to operate, and opened fire on Japanese aircraft. He is credited with downing at least one.

He also carried wounded sailors to safety.

Miller received the Navy Cross in 1942 for his actions. He died in 1943 during a Japanese torpedo attack in the Pacific. The Waco, Texas native was 24.

Cuba Gooding Jr. portrayed him in the 2001 film Pearl Harbor, introducing his story to audiences who had never encountered it.

The Original Announcement

During Trump’s first term, the Navy announced that the Ford-class carrier would be named USS Doris Miller.

The announcement came on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2020, with the Navy noting it would be the first carrier named after an African American.

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas B. Modly spoke at a ceremony at Pearl Harbor, describing Miller as the son of a sharecropper and a descendant of slaves who was denied the same opportunities available to men of a different color, yet who on that December morning refused to be defined by the prejudice of others.

In the written announcement, Modly framed the choice as honoring all enlisted ranks across every race, religion and background, past and present, men and women.

What Is Being Considered Now

CNN, citing three sources familiar with internal discussions, reported that the eventual name remains unclear. Two of those sources described internal conversations about naming the vessel after Trump.

NBC, citing two US officials, reported that Navy leadership has been discussing the possibility for months.

Naming an aircraft carrier after a sitting president would be unprecedented. Presidential names on carriers have historically been applied after a president left office, and typically well afterward.

The Signals Already Visible

Several indicators suggest the change is more than idle discussion.

According to one source, the Navy has effectively stopped using the name USS Doris Miller internally, referring to the vessel only by its hull number.

A recent White House executive order on shipbuilding likewise referred to the ship solely as CVN-81. That order tasked the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy with producing a plan to replace the ship’s electromagnetic aircraft launch system with steam and hydraulic systems.

Dropping a name from internal usage and official documents is not a neutral administrative choice.

The Timeline Pressure

Construction runs through 2034, but the naming decision cannot wait that long.

The keel-laying ceremony is expected at the end of this year, and that event traditionally involves the ship’s name. That deadline is driving the internal urgency.

What Is Being Offered Instead

CNN reported that the Navy plans to name a different warship after Miller and is recommending him for the Medal of Honor, the highest American decoration for military valor.

NBC reported that the White House has not approved that commendation.

Miller’s family and members of Congress have pushed for the Medal of Honor for decades, arguing that his actions warranted the higher award and that the original decision reflected the racial attitudes of the era.

One ship already bears his name: the USS Miller, a Knox-class frigate designated FF-1091.

Why Carrier Names Carry Weight

Aircraft carriers occupy a unique place among naval vessels. There are relatively few, they remain in service for roughly half a century, and their names appear constantly in news coverage of American military operations.

A carrier name is therefore among the most durable and visible honors the country confers.

That visibility is precisely what made the original selection meaningful to those who advocated for it, and it is what makes the potential reversal significant to them now.

The Competing Arguments

Supporters of naming the vessel after Trump would presumably argue that presidents have long been honored with carriers, that the practice is well established, and that the Navy retains discretion over its own ship names.

Critics will note the unprecedented nature of honoring a sitting president, the specific circumstances of what would be displaced, and the fact that a Black enlisted sailor’s recognition is the thing being reconsidered.

The Ford-class vessel was described by the Navy as intended for major combat operations, crisis response and humanitarian relief.

Where Things Stand

USA TODAY sought comment from the White House and the Navy. A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment. Miller’s family could not immediately be reached.

No final decision has been announced. What is known is that a name assigned with ceremony in 2020 has quietly disappeared from internal use, and that the keel-laying deadline is approaching.

Whether the Doris Miller carrier exists at all may be settled before the year ends.