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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump said Friday that families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln were not concerned about conditions aboard the aircraft carrier, despite multiple reports from relatives and those on the ship this past week.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the president was asked about those concerns around food and hygiene, after the ship surpassed 265 days at sea in the Middle East.
"No, they're not," Trump said about families raising concerns, adding that the ship was moving and would be replaced.
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When asked if the deployment had gone on too long, Trump said, "No, no, no. Not nearly long enough."
The president's remarks drew criticism from the wife of an officer serving on the Lincoln, who said the comments were "selfish" and "disconnected from reality."
"I think that if either one of those people took the time to listen to the family members or the sailors on that ship, or the Marines that are stationed on that ship, they would absolutely hear a different story," Ashley Rogers told Newsweek. "I don't think that we can lie our way out of what is so glaringly obvious with this ship and that when you put somebody to see for 260-plus days without a day off, and you extend that deployment and don't give an end date, the mental health is going to suffer."
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Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker, one of Trump's most vocal opponents, also hit out at the president.
"I'm not at all surprised to hear this. I'm saddened to hear it," Pritzker said in a statement to Newsweek. "Our servicemen deserve the support that they have earned by virtue of putting themselves in harm's way to keep us safe and alive, and they shouldn't be sent into wars that shouldn't have been started in the first place."
Newsweek reached out to the White House to ask if the president wanted to clarify his remarks but did not immediately receive a response.
Speaking to Fox News, spokesperson Anna Kelly said, "This president cares about our United States military servicemembers, our troops, more than everybody. Remember, Joe Biden who unfortunately shifted the focus away from our warfighters and onto these woke DEI policies that had nothing to do with readiness and lethality."
Jacob Bliss, Deputy Press Secretary for the Department of Defense (DOD), said on X on Friday, "The Fake News media should STOP exploiting military families! Their misrepresentations are designed to create crisis theater, not inform the public. Our Sailors are proud of their historic mission at sea and so are the American people."
DOD Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson also said on X that a small number of mental health cases were handled without loss of life, meal plans were adjusted when fresh supplies were unavailable without skipping meals, she said, and calls home were restricted when operational threats were "too high."
"Our Sailors on the USS Lincoln are victors, not victims! Cheap shots by the media to misrepresent their historic mission are disgraceful," Wilson concluded in her post.
What We Know About Conditions, Morale Issues Abroad the USS Abraham Lincoln
Concerns about the USS Abraham Lincoln have centered on reports of worsening conditions during its monthslong deployment in the Middle East, which has kept the carrier at sea for more than 250 days.
Family members of sailors told military news outlets that crew members were experiencing exhaustion, declining morale and mental health struggles, with reports alleging that some sailors had attempted to go overboard during the deployment.
Lawmakers have also pointed to allegations of food shortages, water contamination, plumbing failures, mold, broken toilets and disruptions to mail deliveries, which they say have added to strains on the ship's roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said those reports raised questions about both the well-being of service members and the Navy's ability to sustain the operational demands placed on the carrier. His colleague, Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, has called for a congressional inspection of the vessel, while other lawmakers have sought investigations into conditions aboard the ship.
What Has the Trump Admin Said About the USS Abraham Lincoln?
The Pentagon and Navy have pushed back on some of the claims.
Alongside Trump's response Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that reports about conditions on the carrier had been "completely misrepresented," while Navy officials have stated they have not identified an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship.
Officials have acknowledged the extraordinary length of the deployment but say sailors continue to receive support while carrying out operations in the region.
Lawmakers took to X Friday afternoon, expressing their dismay at what the president had said, including California Democratic Representative Mike Levin, who had repeatedly raised concerns over the week.
"Respectfully, Mr. President, I’d like to see you survive a week on that ship," Levin posted in response to a video of the president.
New Jersey Senator Andy Kim, another Democrat, also denounced the president's remarks, saying, "The disregard and disrespect that Trump is showing our sailors and Marines is appalling. Our military and their families deserve so much better than a President who doesn’t care what happens to them."
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How the Lincoln's Deployment Compares
The USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed since November 2025 and has spent more than nine months away from its home port in San Diego.
According to lawmakers and Navy reports, the carrier has been at sea for more than 250 consecutive days, including over 200 days without a port call, an operational tempo that is unusually demanding even by modern Navy standards.
For decades, U.S. Navy carrier deployments were typically about six months. Under the Navy's Optimized Fleet Response Plan, the target generally shifted to around seven months, though extensions have become more common in recent years because of global tensions and maintenance backlogs.
That means the Lincoln is potentially two to three months beyond a standard deployment.
Other notable lengthy deployments
- USS Gerald R. Ford (2025-26): The Ford spent 295 days at sea by April 2026, surpassing the previous post-Vietnam-era record, and ultimately remained deployed for more than 300 days. It has been described as the longest post-Vietnam carrier deployment.
- USS Abraham Lincoln (2019-20): Before the Ford broke the mark, the Abraham Lincoln itself held the post-Vietnam record. Its 2019-20 deployment lasted about 295 days, extended in part by operational requirements and complications associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Vietnam-era deployments: Some aircraft carriers stayed deployed for 10 to 11 months or longer during the Vietnam War, which is why the Ford and Lincoln deployments have been compared to this era.
Is the Abraham Lincoln Being Replaced?
On Thursday, it was reported that the USS George Washington, which had been based in East Asia, had been dispatched to replace the Lincoln.
The aircraft carrier recently left Vietnam and was set to head to the Middle East in order to relieve the Lincoln, although it was not immediately clear when this had been planned.
A return home for the Lincoln's crew may be some weeks off, however, given the time it will take for the new vessel to arrive and duties officially handed over, before the return leg to the California coast.
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Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabe Whisnant, Gray R. Thomas and Anna Commander
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