Trump dismisses concerns over US aircraft carrier, says 250-day deployment 'not nearly enough'

US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has dismissed concerns over living conditions and the mental health of service members on a US aircraft carrier deployed against Iran, while confirming the ship would soon rotate out.

Asked by reporters whether family members were worried about the situation on the USS Abraham Lincoln, Trump said “no, they’re not.”

Trump also rejected the idea that the ship – now at sea for nine months – had been deployed for too long. “No, no, no, not nearly enough,” he said.

Family members of the crew had told news outlets that specialise in American military affairs that their loved ones have been struggling with mental health issues, water contamination and food shortages during their 250 consecutive days at sea. 

The Navy Times and Stars and Stripes newspapers have reported three suicide attempts on board the ship, all of which were prevented by intervening crewmates. 

Stars and Stripes reported that one spouse told the navy’s leadership “he hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow”. 

The massive nuclear-powered ship set out from San Diego on 21 November 2025 for duty in the South China Sea and was rerouted to the Middle East before the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, the beginning of the ongoing war. 

The Lincoln was supposed to return to the US in May.

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Trump has confirmed reports that the ship was due to be swapped out with another aircraft carrier, as the US remains locked in a stalemate with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz and the country’s nuclear programme. 

“That ship is moving right now or very shortly and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” he said.

Acting US navy secretary Hung Cao said “a small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life” and blamed the media for “trying to paint our warriors as victims.”

Democratic politicians have called for an investigation.

Senator Richard Blumenthal this week referred to “widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns” and other problems aboard the Lincoln.

Congressman Mike Levin said in a post on X that the sailors were being served meals that “came down to half a cup of rice and two tortillas”. 

Senator Ruben Gallego called for “an official oversight visit with the bipartisan Senate Delegation to the USS Lincoln to investigate the reported alarming conditions,” in a post on X.

“The stories of crew members threatening to jump off the ship are a frightening alarm bell as to how bad the situation has become: mouldy showers, sporadic hot water, rationed meals and soap, broken toilets, and gruelling 12- to 16-hour shifts with no days off,” Gallego wrote in his post, adding that he has served in active duty himself.

“The way (Trump) is treating our service members as he carries out this illegal war is not just disgusting, it’s dangerous.”

Jonathan Schroden, chief research officer at the Center for Naval Analyses, told AFP that carrier strike groups are generally designed for six-month deployments for reasons including sailor welfare.

Media coverage of the families’ complaints creates an unwelcome new front for Trump in his attempt to sell the already unpopular war.

With reporting from © AFP 2026 

If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, support is available:

• Samaritans 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
• Text About It – text HELLO to 50808 (mental health issues)
• Aware 1800 80 48 48 (depression, anxiety)
• Pieta House 1800 247 247 or text HELP to 51444 – (suicide, self-harm)
• Teen-Line Ireland 1800 833 634 (for ages 13 to 19)
• Childline 1800 66 66 66 (for under 18s)