WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President on Friday downplayed the toll that the is having on American sailors deployed to the Middle East stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln as Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the aircraft carrier.
In a brief exchange with reporters before flying to New York for an event to highlight across the U.S., Trump refuted that family members have raised concerns about the deployment’s length and even said that the more than 260-day deployment is 鈥渘ot nearly long enough.鈥�
“That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it鈥檚 being replaced with another very similar ship,鈥� Trump said when asked about the lengthy deployment.
The Lincoln has been supporting the , and several Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, are pressing for accountability from the Pentagon over conditions aboard the carrier, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said were 鈥渃ompletely misrepresented.鈥�
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment before being elected, took to social media to criticize Trump鈥檚 comments, saying on X that 鈥淧resident Trump does not care about our servicemembers or their families.”
Extended deployments of carriers during the Iran conflict have raised concerns about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods as well as the increasing strain on the ship and its equipment.
While hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have calmed in recent weeks, the Navy has in the crucial and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on . Hegseth said that the U.S. military can maintain the blockage of Iranian ports 鈥渋ndefinitely.鈥�
Another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, and is expected to replace the USS Lincoln, one of two aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East.
After reports emerged that sailors on the Lincoln are struggling with mental health concerns, the Navy said it has 鈥渘ot observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship,鈥� though officials have declined to provide data, citing operational security and patient privacy concerns.
A Navy official said that a sailor aboard the Lincoln went overboard in early August but that the person was quickly recovered, treated by the ship鈥檚 medical department and transferred off ship for follow-on care. The official would not say whether it was being considered a suicide attempt.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, has also pushed back on reports about poor conditions.
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AP writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
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