Donald Trump and his acting defence secretary have distanced themselves from an order to keep a warship rededicated in honour of late US Senator John McCain out of sight during the President's recent Japan trip.
The Pentagon's acting chief, Patrick Shanahan, said he never authorised attempts to ensure Trump would not see the USS John S. McCain at its home port in Japan, and would have his chief of staff investigate.
Trump also said he was not involved in the matter.
Trump, who long feuded with McCain, told reporters he "was not a big fan" of the Arizona Republican and one-time presidential nominee "in any way, shape or form" but said he "would never do a thing like that."
"Somebody did it because they thought I didn't like him, OK? And they were well-meaning, I will say," Trump said, insisting he was kept in the dark.
The order that a Navy destroyer be kept out of sight reflected what appeared to be an extraordinary White House effort to avoid offending an unpredictable president known for holding a grudge.
Three US officials confirmed to The Associated Press the White House told the Navy to keep the warship named for McCain, his father and his grandfather out of Trump's sight during his visit to a base outside Tokyo.
As a senator, McCain broke with the president in key areas. He incensed Trump with his thumbs-down vote, foiling the effort to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law. Trump also mocked McCain's military service, which included years of imprisonment and torture during the Vietnam War.
The warship, commissioned in 1994, was originally named for the senator's father and grandfather, both Navy admirals named John Sidney McCain. Last year, the Navy rededicated the ship to honour the senator as well.
Rear Admiral Charlie Brown, Navy public affairs officer, tweeted Wednesday night: "The name of USS John S. McCain was not obscured during the POTUS visit to Yokosuka on Memorial Day. The Navy is proud of that ship, its crew, its namesake and its heritage."
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