WASHINGTON — President Trump denied family members of sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln were concerned about their loved ones Friday, adding that the aircraft carrier would soon be relieved following a nine-month deployment.
“That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for an event on Long Island.
Multiple reports have emerged in recent days that poor living conditions and a lack of downtime has taken a severe mental toll on the roughly 5,000 service members on board the carrier, which has been stationed in the Arabian Sea since January, before the start of combat operations against Iran.
According to the Navy Times and Wall Street Journal, at least three sailors have either tried to jump overboard or managed to do so, forcing their colleagues to rescue them or physically restrain them from going over the side.
More than 200 family members met with acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao in San Diego last week to raise their issues — but Trump told reporters “no, they’re not” when a reporter noted that the relatives “are concerned about conditions” on the ship.
The president also brushed off a question about whether the ship, originally deployed in the South China Sea in November, had been away from shore too long.
“No, not nearly long enough,” Trump responded.
The Navy is sending the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the Middle East to relieve the Lincoln, but it is believed to still be several days from reaching the vessel.
