Trump Says USS Lincoln Hasn't Been Deployed 'Nearly Long Enough'—Denies Families' Concerns

By Sara Dorn, Forbes Staff. Aug 14, 2026, 02:52pm EDT.

Topline: President Donald Trump denied families of service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have expressed concerns about conditions on the ship and said the nine-month deployment wasn't "nearly long enough," prompting near immediate blowback from lawmakers.

Key Facts: Trump said "no they're not" when a reporter confronted him on Friday about the physical and mental health concerns family of service members on board and lawmakers have expressed. He said, "no, no, not nearly long enough," when asked if the deployment had gone on too long.

Democrats in Congress promptly criticized the president, with Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., writing on X that parents of service members on board have reached out to her office directly to express concerns, while Sen. Andy Kim, D-NJ, wrote on X, "the disregard and disrespect that Trump is showing our sailors and Marines is appalling."

Trump said the USS Lincoln will be replaced "very shortly" by "another very similar ship," seemingly confirming reports that the ship will be replaced in the Middle East by the Japan-based USS George Washington.

The Lincoln has been at sea for a record 200 consecutive days as of Wednesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., wrote in a letter to acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, expressing "serious concerns" about the deployment and reports of "shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the mail system."

Hegseth told reporters on Thursday the concerns have been "completely misrepresented," claiming "we make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment."

Tangent: Some family members of the 5,000 service members on board the USS Abraham Lincoln reportedly confronted Cao at in-person and virtual meetings last week about the conditions aboard the ship and pleaded with him for an end date of the deployment. One parent said her daughter who is on board the ship fears she will never come home and die at sea, MS Now reported. A spouse told officials her husband messaged her and said "he hopes he doesn't wake up tomorrow," according to Stars and Stripes, citing an unnamed source who attended the meeting. Vice Adm. Douglas Verissimo reportedly told the families "I look forward to the day when we can have at least a date window for home port . . . but we don't have that right now," according to MS NOW, citing a recording of the virtual meeting.

Key Background: The USS Lincoln left its homeport of San Diego on Nov. 21 for a routine Pacific deployment and was rerouted to the Middle East in January ahead of the U.S. attacks on Iran in February. It has made only two port calls since, once in Guam in December and again in Oman in July. Blumenthal said in his letter that the USS Lincoln's extended deployment "is not an isolated case," noting the USS Gerald R. Ford spent 326 days at sea before returning to its homeport in May.