California Governor Gavin Newsom posted on the social media platform X in response to another post that features a video of President Donald Trump speaking to the families of those on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The President can be heard telling a reporter who claims that the families are worried, “No, they’re not.”
The comments below the X post were incredibly divided, with a large portion accusing Newsom of using the situation to score political points against Trump. Others call the controversy a “non-story” and argue that lengthy deployments are just part of the job.
In the video that Governor Gavin Newsom is responding to, a reporter says to President Trump, “The family members of US service members are concerned about the conditions aboard the USS Lincoln.” Before she could continue, President Trump interjects with, “No, they’re not. That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another, very similar ship.”
The reporter then asks, “Has the deployment gone on too long?” to which Trump replies, “No, not nearly long enough.” He then walks away from the reporters, who appear not to ask him any more questions after this, as he boards an aircraft.
In Gavin Newsom’s post, he writes, “The 5,000 sailors and Marines who deployed from San Diego aboard the USS Lincoln have been at sea long past the original May return date. Trump couldn’t care less about the brave service members he is jeopardizing with his failed war with Iran. The cruelty is off the charts.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln deployed officially on January 8, 2026, having allegedly endured various attacks via ballistic missiles and drone strikes. In early August, the USS Lincoln had officially been at sea for over 260 consecutive days, with over 40 of those days being of continuous combat operations and incredibly few port calls. Shortly after this, it was allegedly revealed that various sailors had attempted to jump overboard due to the ship’s reportedly terrible conditions.
On the Navy’s official website, a statement was made by Acting Secretary Hung Cao that said the mission had officially “crushed their deployment and will return home soon as part of a planned rotation. Details will come but let me be clear: the safety and security of our Sailors and Marines always comes first.”
Additionally, the mental health cases and meals that allegedly had been missed were addressed, with Cao saying, “It is also true: a small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life, meal plans were adjusted when fresh resupply was unavailable, without a single meal being missed, and calls home were limited when the operational threat was too high.”
Comments and Reactions to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Response to Donald Trump
Several commenters believe Newsom is using the sailors to attack Trump rather than expressing genuine concern. One called it, “another non story coordinated attack by the DNC.” Similarly, another user wrote, “You’re using service members as political pawns. You’re disgusting.”
On the other side, there were those who were more critical of Donald Trump and his statements, with one commenter describing the conditions aboard the ship as “disgusting:” and compared it to a “floating prison.”
As the debate continues, the situation surrounding the USS Abraham Lincoln has quickly become another political battle between supporters and critics of both Trump and Newsom. With the conversation continuing to gain traction online, people remain divided over whether Newsom is genuinely standing up for the sailors aboard the carrier or simply using their circumstances as another opportunity to criticize the president.
