By Molly Claire Goddard
3:25am PDT, Jun 5, 2025
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Pete Hegseth is making drastic changes to United States Navy ships.
According to an internal memo,
Donald Trump's Defense Secretary ordered that the name of gay icon and activist
Harvey Milk be scrubbed from one of the boats as the current administration tries "reestablishing the warrior culture" within the military.
Keep reading to learn why Hegseth is trying to do away with the liberal tribute…MORE:
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Per an internal memo obtained by CBS News, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanded Harvey Milk's moniker be taken off the U.S. Navy ship named after him.
"Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all [Department of Defense] installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history and the warrior ethos," Chief
Pentagon Spokesman
Sean Parnell explained of the changes. "Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete."
Milk was a sailor during the Korean War and was forced out of the military for being gay. He later went on to be elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. In 1978, the politician was killed by a man he worked with who did not approve of his efforts to stop discrimination based on sexual orientation in public accommodations, housing and employment.
According to the
Associated Press, the USNS Harvey Milk — christened during
Joe Biden's presidency — will be renamed before the end of June.
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Notable Democrats expressed their outrage over the renaming of the ship. Former House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi labeled the move by Donald Trump and his
administration "spiteful."
"Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country," she said in a statement on Tuesday, June 3.
Left-leaning California Governor
Gavin Newsom took to X to claim the move "won't erase his legacy as an American icon, but it does reveal Trump's contempt for the very values our veterans fight to protect."
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According to multiple sources, Navy vessels such as the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, USNS Harriet Tubman, USNS Dolores Huerta, USNS Lucy Stone, USNS Cesar Chavez and USNS Medgar Evers are also set to be renamed.
The USNS Thurgood Marshall, named in honor of the first Black Supreme Court justice, has already had the trailblazer's name removed from the ship.
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Since securing his position earlier this year, Pete Hegseth has made conservative edits to the United States military. In April, the official announced changes to the standards for men and women in
combat.
In a video shared to X, Hegseth claimed the Pentagon "allowed standards to slip" over the past few years.
"Different standards for men and women in combat arms, MOS and jobs, that's not acceptable," he added.
