Trump defends record-long carrier deployment amid Iran conflict fallout

President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed concerns about the length of the USS Abraham Lincoln's deployment, calling the nearly nine-month, more than 260-day mission "not nearly long enough." Speaking to reporters before traveling to New York, Trump denied that sailors' family members have raised concerns about the deployment.

The Lincoln has been supporting U.S. military operations against Iran, and Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona are pressing the Pentagon for accountability over conditions aboard the carrier. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that reports on the ship's conditions were "completely misrepresented." Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., a combat veteran, criticized Trump's remarks on social media, saying the president "does not care about our servicemembers or their families."

The Navy said it has not observed an increase in suicidal ideation or attempts aboard the Lincoln, though officials declined to release data, citing operational security and patient privacy. A Navy official confirmed a sailor went overboard in early August and was recovered and treated before being transferred off the ship. U.S. Central Command has also pushed back on reports of poor conditions aboard the vessel.

Trump said the Lincoln is being replaced by another carrier, and the USS George Washington left port in Vietnam last week to relieve it. The Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, which Hegseth said the military can maintain "indefinitely," with no timeline given for winding down the conflict.

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