The USS Gerald Ford
- Thread starter evince
- Start date
President Donald Trump had no direct involvement in the original naming of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which honors the 38th U.S. president and World War II Navy veteran Gerald R. Ford.
That decision was announced by then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in a eulogy on January 3, 2007, shortly after Ford's death on December 26, 2006, and formally confirmed by Navy Secretary Donald Winter on January 16, 2007.
The proposal itself originated from a non-binding amendment in a 2007 defense bill by Democrat Sen. John Warner in 2006, while Ford was still alive.
President Trump's only connection to the ship stems from his role as president during its formal commissioning ceremony on July 22, 2017, at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
As the presiding officer, Trump delivered keynote remarks, describing the carrier as a "100,000-ton message to the world" symbolizing American strength and military dominance. He praised the ship's crew, builders, and namesake, quoting Gerald Ford on the need for a robust U.S. military, and emphasized his administration's commitment to bolstering defense capabilities. This event marked the Ford's official entry into active U.S. Navy service as the lead ship of its advanced class and the world's largest warship at the time.
That decision was announced by then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in a eulogy on January 3, 2007, shortly after Ford's death on December 26, 2006, and formally confirmed by Navy Secretary Donald Winter on January 16, 2007.
The proposal itself originated from a non-binding amendment in a 2007 defense bill by Democrat Sen. John Warner in 2006, while Ford was still alive.
President Trump's only connection to the ship stems from his role as president during its formal commissioning ceremony on July 22, 2017, at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
As the presiding officer, Trump delivered keynote remarks, describing the carrier as a "100,000-ton message to the world" symbolizing American strength and military dominance. He praised the ship's crew, builders, and namesake, quoting Gerald Ford on the need for a robust U.S. military, and emphasized his administration's commitment to bolstering defense capabilities. This event marked the Ford's official entry into active U.S. Navy service as the lead ship of its advanced class and the world's largest warship at the time.