Members of the U.S. navy gather to listen to U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks during a Navy 250 Celebration in Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. October 5, 2025.
Reports of the conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln continue to grow worse according to military spouses and that President Trump should be "ashamed."
When asked about it on Friday, Trump said, "Well, that ship is moving. That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it's being replaced with another very similar ship." When a reporter asked if it was deployed too long, Trump claimed, "No, no, no, not nearly long enough."
After the conditions and suicide attempts became public, Trump moved the USS George Washington to the Strait of Hormuz to relieve the Lincoln for a planned rotation.
CNN host Audie Cornish questioned if the administration was guilty of "brushing off concerns from military families."
Admiral Brad Cooper, chief of US Central Command, visited the Lincoln over the weekend and claimed that the ship "currently has among the lowest number of cases related to mental health. This doesn't mean that all is perfect...service at sea for long periods isn't for everyone. It is uniquely challenging and tough."
The Lincoln was expected to wrap up its deployment in May, but Trump has failed to secure a deal with Iran to end the conflict.
One wife of a service member aboard the Lincoln told CNN's Jake Tapper on Friday, "It's infurriating that they're not taking accountability and not having any, sort of, sympathy for our service members that they claim to scream and shout that they support— when it's politically, you know, sound for them to use 'support our troops, support our troops,' until our troops need support. And now suddenly everyone's lying and it's a fabrication and it's a misrepresentation? It's Infuriating."
Former deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh noted that she could hear the "anguish" in the military spouse's voice.
"I mean, these sailors, these marines are putting their lives on the line every single day, living in close quarters, living in stacked bunk beds, you know, sharing personal space, sharing bathrooms. And I think this administration should have acknowledged that we are putting a strain on these personnel who have not had a port call in over 200 days."
Cornish cut in to say that it's "also what happens when you infuriate the military spouse community. And she's saying, straight up, don't gaslight us on this thing."
"Don't gaslight them. Don't tell the military, military, family community that what they are hearing from their family members on the ship is not true," said author Joel Rubin, who writes "The Briefing Book" Substack.
"And the last I checked, the secretary of defense, the president, he's been commander in chief for over a year and a half. This is on his plate. It's his planning that is now leading to this outcome. And he's not taking responsibility for it," Rubin added.
Singh noted that she doesn't think that most people fully understand what it does to ships when they go so long without breaks. She said that it defers critical ship maintenance and adds stress to the force.
"Meaning there's a domino effect," Cornish said.