White House went to extreme lengths to cover up ship’s ‘John McCain’ name, and the jokes wrote themselves

The White House wanted the US Navy to move the warship USS John S McCain ahead of Trump's visit to Japan, according to an email that's been seen by the Wall Street Journal.

The ship, which was named after the father and great grandfather of the late senator, had the senator's name added to its side in 2018, and officials reportedly used a tarp and barge to cover the USS John McCain's name when Trump visited, and sailors were directed to remove any coverings from the ship that bore its name, reports the Wall Street Journal.

In a May 15 email to the US Navy and Air Force officials, a US Indo-Pacific command official outlined plans for the president's arrival, reportedly resulting from conversations between the White House Military Office and the Seventh Fleet of the US Navy, reports the Wall Street Journal.

In addition to giving instructions for the landing areas of helicopters and preparations for the USS Wasp, there was also reportedly a third directive:

USS John McCain needs to be out of sight.

In response to the news, however, Trump said that he had 'not been informed' about anything to do with the ship. In a tweet, he said:

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!

It goes without saying that people on social media found the whole situation pretty hilarious.

Meghan McCain also got involved.

HT Twitter Moments