Trump Dismisses Concerns Over Conditions on USS Abraham Lincoln Amidst Growing Criticism
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Trump dismisses concerns over conditions on long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln Reports from sailors and their families describe concerning conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The ship has been at sea since last November, a record-length deployment. White House correspondent Liz Landers reports.
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HuffPostWhile the USS George Washington is now headed to the Middle East to relieve the embattled aircraft carrier, Trump was asked Friday if the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln has gone on too long — and stated boldly, “No, no, no. Not nearly long enough.” Manner said Friday, “Think about if you had a son or a daughter on that ship.”
NPR NewsTrump was asked by reporters Friday whether the USS Lincoln's deployment had gone on too long.
The Guardian USThe USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier with more than 5,000 sailors and marines onboard, has been at sea for nearly nine months, having begun its deployment in November. There have been reports of multiple suicide attempts including jumping overboard.
ReutersAdmiral praises USS Lincoln crew amid reports of worsening conditions during long deployment - Reuters Admiral praises USS Lincoln crew amid reports of worsening conditions during long deployment Reuters
BBC News"Not nearly long enough," he told reprters on Friday. Trump also confirmed that another ship will replace the Lincoln, although he did not identify it by name.
The HillHouse Democrats question acting Navy Secretary on conditions aboard USS Abraham Lincoln A group of House Democrats sent a letter Friday to the Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao probing into conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln, a ship that has been docked in the Middle East for over 260 days. The letter – sent by Reps. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.),…
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“I’m pushing for an official, bipartisan oversight visit to the USS Lincoln,” Gallego posted on X. “It’s clear Donald Trump, who avoided active duty himself, couldn’t care less about the health and safety of our service members.”
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The HillGallego: USS Lincoln concerns prove Trump views servicemembers as ‘toys’ Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.) said Sunday the reported mental health concerns among servicemembers on board the USS Abraham Lincoln are proof that President Trump does not care about their well-being. “The president has shown that he just doesn’t really care about the troops,” Gallego told host Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week.” “His… lackadaisical…
The Guardian USRuben Gallego, a Democratic senator from Arizona, said on Sunday that problems aboard the Lincoln had kept mounting – and he blamed the carrier’s prolonged deployment on the unresolved war that Donald Trump started in February with Iran as well as lackluster leadership in general from the Republican president’s administration.
NPR NewsGallego also said he had spoken to some of the crew aboard the ship. "We are able to talk to a lot of these sailors," Gallego said. "We are able to talk to their spouses. And this is why I think it's important they allow us a bipartisan group of members of the House and the Senate to go and visit these sailors - something that has happened before - to make sure that we know that they're doing well and that the secretary of defense is not lying to us."
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Wes Moore, Maryland’s Democratic governor and a military veteran, on Sunday also sharply criticized Trump’s response to concerns about the mental health and living conditions of those aboard the Lincoln.
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Washington ExaminerGov. Wes Moore (D-MD) sharply criticized President Donald Trump over his handling of the war in Iran, accusing the president of showing little concern for United States service members and their families amid reports of troubling conditions on the U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.
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“Not only are these conditions, and the reports of these conditions, heartbreaking, the response of the president, the president of the United States, pisses me off,” Moore said on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday.
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The Guardian USAppearing on CNN’s State of the Union, Moore said: “The response of the president of United States pisses me off. And it should piss all of us off.”
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“I would have hoped that, since he’s never been forward deployed, since he’s never put on the uniform and sacrificed for this country, that he would have more compassion for the people who are willing to, that he would have more compassion for their family members who are willing to offer their loved ones to this country because they love this country so much,” Moore said.
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Washington Examiner“And it should piss off all of us. I would have hoped that since he’s never been forward deployed, since he’s never put on the uniform and sacrificed for this country, that he would have more compassion for the people who are willing to,” Moore said.
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Cao said those aboard the USS Lincoln are the "epitome of American strength and resilience."
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The Guardian USThe Lincoln recently received a visit from the US Central Command commander Adm Brad Cooper, who said in a statement on Saturday that its crew “is a strong team of high-achieving Americans standing tall with immense, justified pride in everything they accomplished”.
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The Guardian on Sunday reported on naval families who denounced Trump and Hegseth for dismissing their loved ones’ experiences, including aboard the Lincoln.
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NPR NewsWASHINGTON — Families of sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln are condemning President Trump's comments on the ship's record deployment.
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In an interview with the BBC, a relative of a sailor on the Lincoln claimed that their family member had lost 65lbs (29kg) since the ship headed out to sea and had been suffering from exhaustion because of the constant noise of aircraft and the ship's vibrations.
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The Guardian USThey spoke of insufficient nourishment that has led to close relatives losing 20-30lbs in weight since they were sent to the Middle East five months ago, leaving one sailor “emaciated”, according to his mother. They spoke also of low-quality drinking water and scarce mental health counseling and support despite the intense burden of being at sea for months on end without making land.
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Earlier, Hegseth also swatted away families’ concerns, saying that the reality onboard the Lincoln had been “completely misrepresented”.
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Manner joined CNN following reports that U.S. military service members have tried to jump off the aircraft carrier amid an extended stay due to the Iran war.
6 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 The Guardian US “I was just speaking to a [Lincoln crew member’s] spouse just about three days ago, and this is the current problem right now,” Gallego said on ABC News’s This Week. “The deep, deep, deep problem here is that this administration did not plan for this war, did not plan how to get out of this war, [and] did not really understand how this war was going to escalate.”
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02 BBC News The USS George Washington, which was near Malaysia on Thursday, could arrive in the region in about nine days, BBC analysis shows.
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03 Washington Examiner Moore, who served in the Army, weighed in on conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, stationed in the Iran war zone, after reports of moldy showers, bad food, and a shortage of personal hygiene supplies became social media fodder.
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04 The Hill Maher on USS Abraham Lincoln conditions: ‘It just makes my blood boil’ Comedian Bill Maher condemned the reported harsh conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on Friday, saying accounts of food shortages and broken toilets the sailors onboard have worked under made his “blood boil.” Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao announced on Friday that the aircraft carrier would be returning to the U.S. from deployment after spending…
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05 NPR News Karen Bramlett's grandson is on the ship. She asked NPR not to use his name for fears he could face repercussions or harassment from the military.
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06 HuffPost Retired Maj. General Randy Manner on Friday accused President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of “spewing lies” about the reportedly deplorable conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and its extended deployment in the Middle East.
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- washexaminer
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