Trump says USS Lincoln’s deployment was ‘not nearly long enough’

By Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed claims that families of service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have concerns about conditions aboard the aircraft carrier, which has been deployed for nearly nine months supporting operations in the Middle East.

Instead, Trump claimed the ship’s lengthy deployment had in fact not been long enough.

“No, they’re not,” Trump said when asked by reporters at Joint Base Andrews about relatives of those aboard the ship expressing worry about mental health and living conditions for their relatives.

He said the Lincoln was moving out of the region soon, and would be replaced by “another, very similar, ship.”

But asked whether the Lincoln’s eight-and-a-half months at sea was too long, Trump claimed the opposite was true.

“No, no, no. Not nearly long enough,” he said before turning abruptly to board Air Force One.

Several Democratic lawmakers are calling for answers after concerns were raised by families of sailors aboard the Lincoln about the deteriorating living conditions and worsening mental health during the ship’s record-breaking deployment.

Since the Lincoln left its home port of San Diego last November, the aircraft carrier has been deployed for more than 250 days after being redirected to the Middle East to support US operations in the war with Iran, now entering its sixth month. With roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard, it has not made a port call in more than 200 days, setting a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea, according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

The USS George Washington carrier group, which finished a port visit in Vietnam on August 5, is currently headed to the Middle East to replace the Lincoln, a US official told CNN on Thursday. The official said that the swap had been previously planned. It was not immediately clear when the Washington would arrive.

On Thursday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that conditions on the Lincoln had been “completely misrepresented” while talking to reporters on a trip to Central America, though he did not specify his concerns with the reporting.

“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” he said. “Some deployments are longer than others, and ⁠I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody. What they do in those high seas in those austere conditions with less port calls — it’s incredible.”

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