Former House Speaker and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had a big freakout Tuesday after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename ships bearing the names of liberal icons, including the USNS Harvey Milk, as part of the Trump administration’s mission to restore “warrior culture” to America’s military.
Hegseth has vowed to honor war heroes, not political icons, in the U.S. military — and Pelosi isn’t happy.
Pelosi, who has made a career out of virtue signaling and woke posturing, lost her mind when she learned that Hegseth had directed Navy Secretary John Phelan to strip the USNS Harvey Milk and potentially other ships in the John Lewis-class of their politically correct names.
“The reported decision by the Trump Administration to change the names of the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships in the John Lewis-class is a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream,” Pelosi shrieked in a statement that perfectly captured her unhinged reaction to common-sense military reforms.
Pelosi continued her meltdown, claiming: “Our military is the most powerful in the world – but this spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos. Instead, it is a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.”
The Trump administration said that their goal of restoring warrior culture means focusing on military excellence rather than DEI programs that has weakened our armed forces for years.
Military.com said the memorandum from the Office of the Secretary of the Navy outlined that the renaming was being done to ensure “alignment with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture.”
A defense official confirmed that the timing of the announcement during Pride Month was intentional, sending a clear message that the military will no longer be used as a vehicle for “woke” political points — a complete reversal of the Obama-Biden era politicization of our armed forces.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell defended the decision in a statement.
“Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief’s priorities, our nation’s history, and the warrior ethos,” Parnell said.
Hegseth and Phelan plan to announce the new name aboard the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned Navy ship – a symbolic gesture that honors America’s naval heritage.
The scope of the renaming effort is even broader than initially reported, with CBS News revealing that the Navy is also considering renaming other John Lewis-class oilers including the USNS Thurgood Marshall, USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and USNS Harriet Tubman.
Pelosi called this broader renaming “a shameful, vindictive erasure of those who fought to break down barriers for all to chase the American Dream.”
The Harvey Milk was originally named in 2016 by Obama-era Navy Secretary Ray Mabus as part of the previous administration’s systematic DEI effort that impacted every aspect of government, including our military. Milk, while serving as a diving officer during the Korean War, left the service in 1955 with a “less than honorable” discharge “after being officially questioned about his sexual orientation.”
Milk later became one of the first openly gay elected officials in U.S. history when he won a seat on the San Francisco board of supervisors in 1977, before being assassinated in 1978.
While tragic, his political activism hardly makes him an appropriate namesake for a military vessel designed for combat operations, critics said.
Navy traditions have long considered renaming ships to be taboo, making Hegseth’s decision even more significant. However, the most recent renaming occurred in just 2023 when the Biden administration renamed the USS Chancellorsville and USNS Maury to remove Confederate ties.
Pelosi said the decision represents “a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.”
The former Speaker added: “As the rest of us are celebrating the joy of Pride Month, it is my hope that the Navy will reconsider this egregious decision and continue to recognize the extraordinary contributions of Harvey Milk, a Veteran himself, and all Americans who forged historic progress for our nation.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom also jumped into the fray, pointing out that Milk was a Korean War combat veteran whose commander called him “outstanding.”
The renaming represents the latest move by the Trump administration to systematically purge controversial diversity, equity, and inclusion programs from the federal government, including the military.
Ships should be named after naval heroes, successful commanders, and those who exemplify military virtues – not political activists chosen to make progressive statements, according to the Trump administration.
Instead, the military will focus on its core mission: defending America and projecting military strength around the world.