Trump dismisses aircraft carrier conditions concerns

US President Donald Trump dismissed concerns on Friday about living conditions and mental health on the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier deployed against Iran, and said the ship would soon be replaced by another carrier.

Asked whether family members were worried about the situation on the Abraham Lincoln, Trump said: “No, they're not.” Asked whether the carrier, now in its ninth month at sea, had been deployed too long, he said: “No, no, no, not nearly enough.”

Trump said the ship “is moving right now or very shortly” and would be replaced by a similar ship. The United States remains in a stalemate with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program.

AFP said US media, including specialist military publications, had quoted relatives of crew members saying conditions had deteriorated on the Abraham Lincoln. AFP also said there had been reports of several suicide attempts. Democratic politicians are calling for investigations.

The Abraham Lincoln left California in November 2025 for duty in the South China Sea and was rerouted to the Middle East before US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began February 28. 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.”