Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said it was not unreasonable for a White House staffer to ask the U.S. Navy to move the USS John S. McCain warship so President Donald Trump wouldnt have to see it during his visit to a naval base in Japan.

Mulvaney told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday that he absolutely believes someone from the White Houses advance team made the ask knowing Trump had a contentious relationship with the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a decorated Navy veteran.

An advance team is hundreds of people, Mulvaney told host Chuck Todd. The fact that some 23- or 24-year-old person on the advance team went to that site and said, Oh my goodness, theres the John McCain. We all know how the president feels about the former senator. Maybe thats not the best backdrop. Could somebody look into moving it? Thats not an unreasonable thing to ask.

Seriously? Todd asked.

Mulvaney doubled down: Its not. Its certainly not.

The U.S. Navy confirmed Saturday that it was asked to minimize the presence of the USS John S. McCain ahead of Trumps visit to Japan. The 505-foot destroyer was originally named after McCains father and grandfather, John S. McCain Jr. and John S. McCain Sr. The Arizona senator was added as a third namesake shortly before his death in 2018.

A request was made to the U.S. Navy to minimize the visibility of USS John S. McCain, however, all ships remained in their normal configuration during the Presidents visit, Navy Chief of Information Rear Adm. Charlie Brown said in a statement Saturday.

Trump on Thursday said he wasnt aware of the request, but claimed whoever made it was well-meaning.

I was very angry with John McCain because he killed health care, Trump told reporters outside the White House. I was not a big fan of John McCain in any way, shape or form.

But I would never do a thing like that, he added. Now, somebody did it because they thought I didnt like him, OK? And they were well-meaning, I will say. I didnt know anything about it. I would never have done that.

Mulvaney said Sunday that no one would be fired over the request, which prompted backlash last week from veterans, Democrats and Meghan McCain , the 2008 Republican presidential nominees eldest daughter.

The presidents feelings toward the senator are well known, Muvlaney told NBC. To think that youre going to get fired over this is silly.