President Trump had a recent trip to Japan to meet the new Emperor and Empress as well as to discuss trade with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the Memorial Day weekend. During this trip, he met with troops stationed in the area, some being U.S. Navy sailors.
On Thursday, CNN New Day hosts Alisyn Camerota and John Berman discussed a report that was released Wednesday night regarding the status of the USS John McCain. There was a claim that a low-level White House official requested a tarp to be placed over the lettering of the ship to mask the name of the late Senator. The US Navy Chief of Information said that “The name of the USS John S. McCain was not obscured during the POTUS visit.”
Rather than discuss the more probable situation that a low-level official was acting out of turn, Berman made the point that Trump has staffers running around trying to keep the President mentally stable:
Yeah, it is interesting though Barbara that the request did, in fact, come from the White House. The question is how high in the White House? Who knew? The acting Defense Secretary said there is an investigation ongoing now and it also speaks volumes that there are people in the White House who thought the President would be so upset by the sight of the USS John McCain they had to do something.
Camerota then fretted: “that they are so conscious of optics, and the President's feelings at all times, that nobody has to issue the order. They are just so -- they live and breathe it.” Berman agreed and warned: “but it says a lot about the President's psyche and their fears of the President’s psyche.”
Both President Trump and acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan say that they had no involvement in the incident. It is still unknown who made the request and for what reason, but that didn’t stop Camerota and Berman from blaming this on Trump’s state of mind.
This was the exchange between Camerota and Berman that just after the report:
CNN New Day:
05/29/19
6:24 AM
ALISYN CAMEROTA: Also new this morning, the acting Defense Secretary is responding to reports that low level staffers at the White House asked the U.S. Navy to keep the USS John McCain, quote, out of sight during President Trump's recent visit to Japan. The Navy could not or did not comply. CNN’s Barbara Starr is live in the Pentagon with more. This is a strange report, Barbara. What do you know?
BARBARA STARR: Well, what we is that late last night President Trump tweeted that he had no involvement in any of this, saying he was not informed about anything having to do with moving the John McCain warship when he was in Yokosuka, Japan over the Memorial Day holiday. Defense -- acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan telling reporters while he is traveling in Asia today that he never knew about this and he would not have done it. That he honors the memory of the late senator McCain and would not have disrespected the troops aboard the McCain by telling them to move and get out of sight. So what do we think happened here? From sources we talked to it appears that some White House staffer in doing the advance work for the President's trip said keep the McCain out of sight. Well, hard to make a warship disappear when it's in port for repairs. So, there was a report that a tarp had been placed over the ship to keep the name disguised. The President wouldn't see the name McCain. There was a tarp but it was for maintenance the Navy says, and it was removed days before the President even got there. There was a small barge also part of the repair work, not there to obscure the name of the ship, we are told. There was also part of this original reporting that the sailors aboard the McCain were told they could not come to the ship where the President was appearing, that they would be barred. Well, it turned out the crews of two ships, the McCain and another ship, they had liberty passes. They were told there would not be room for them, but it was not the McCain in particular. Two ships, two crews having that issue. John?
JOHN BERMAN: Yeah, it is interesting though Barbara that the request did, in fact, come from the White House. The question is how high in the White House? Who knew? The acting Defense Secretary said there is an investigation ongoing now and it also speaks volumes that there are people in the White House who thought the President would be so upset by the sight of the USS John McCain they had to do something.
CAMEROTA: I suppose, unless they thought they didn't want it as a backdrop. For wherever the President was speaking, they couldn't have the USS McCain be the backdrop. I mean who knows.
BERMAN: Why? Why though? It’s because they thought it would upset him.
CAMEROTA: Maybe. I mean --
BERMAN: Or because?
CAMEROTA: Or because like Bill de Blasio had somebody coming down the escalator with a sign saying "bad mayor." That they are so conscious of optics, and the President's feelings at all times, that nobody has to issue the order. They are just so -- they live and breathe it.
BERMAN: But it says a lot about the President's psyche and their fears of the President’s psyche.
