Trump says he was 'not informed' about John McCain warship during trip to Japan
President Donald Trump on Wednesday night denied having ordered officials to move a warship named after the late Senator John McCain "out of sight" during his trip to Japan over Memorial Day weekend.
Trump took to Twitter to state: "I was not informed about anything having to do with the Navy Ship USS John S. McCain during my recent visit to Japan. Nevertheless, @FLOTUS and I loved being with our great Military Men and Women — what a spectacular job they do!"
The Republican's comments came after the White House requested that the USS John S McCain be "out of sight" during Trump's visit to Japan, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The warship has been named after the late senator, his father Adm. John S. McCain, Jr., and his grandfather Adm. John S. McCain, who were both admirals in the Navy.
Trump has repeatedly been critical of McCain who is hailed as a war hero after being held captive for nearly five years during the Vietnam War.
The president, on multiple occasions, has slammed the late Arizona senator for voting against the GOP's effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
The Navy also appeared to refute the WSJ's report in a tweet, stating that it did not obscure the late senator's name: "The name of USS John S. McCain was not obscured during the POTUS visit to Yokosuka on Memorial Day. The Navy is proud of that ship, its crew, its namesake and its heritage."
According to the WSJ, a conversation between the White House Military Office and the Seven Fleet of the US Navy resulted in an email from a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command official to U.S. Navy and Air Force officials noting the directive that the USS John S. McCain should not be visible.
Reports state that the ship has been undergoing repairs ever since a collision in 2017 and would have been difficult to move from its current place.
Therefore, according to the Journal, a tarp was placed over the ship's name before Trump's visit.
The outlet also reported that a barge was moved in front of the ship in an attempt to obscure its name after the tarp was removed.
The sailors, who often wear caps with the ship's name on it, were also given the day off in an attempt to remove them out of the president's sight, reports state.
Shortly after the president's alleged directive, the late senator's daughter and a host on ABC's 'The View', Meghan McCain, slammed Trump for the act.
She took to Twitter on Wednesday following the WSJ report saying: "Trump is a child who will always be deeply threatened by the greatness of my dads incredible life. There is a lot of criticism of how much I speak about my dad, but nine months since he passed, Trump won't let him RIP. So I have to stand up for him. It makes my grief unbearable."
Meghan had also recently denounced 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar for mentioning her father's name in a political speech, stating that her father should be left out of "presidential politics".