White House Requested USS John McCain Be ‘Out of Sight’ During Trump’s Japan Visit
The USS John S. McCain, left, moored at the Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan, in 2019.
Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Former President Donald Trump’s White House asked the US Navy to hide a warship named after John McCain on his 2019 visit to Japan, stunning naval officials, newly disclosed government documents confirm.
In an email to the US Navy ahead of Trump’s state visit that May, a US Indo-Pacific Command staffer laid out a list of demands including the directive that “USS John McCain needs to be out of sight.” The official later followed up with a note saying “Please confirm #3 will be satisfied.”