What did Donald Trump do today?
He called sailors and their families liars.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier with a crew of over 5,000. It has been stationed near the Persian Gulf for over 240 days now. Under normal conditions, even during active operations, it would make a port call after 30-45 days. But the Navy is stretched thin in the region, in spite of two carrier groups operating there, and Trump has been reluctant to call attention to the operational strains of a war he's been claiming was already won for months.
Because of an Iranian attack early in the war took out the Bahraini base that would normally resupply the Abraham Lincoln, sailors have been coping with rotten food, ruined plumbing, shortages of basic supplies, and communications blackouts. This has led to a drastic morale crisis aboard, with multiple suicide attempts reported. Family members of US servicemembers have become increasingly alarmed at the reports they're able to receive.
Trump was asked about the crisis today, and said this:
Q: The family members of US servicemembers are concerned about the conditions on board the USS Lincoln—
TRUMP: No, they're not.
Trump, who dodged the Vietnam draft, added that he thought that the unbroken 240-day stretch at sea—the longest on record for a US carrier—was "not nearly long enough."
Why does this matter?
- Nobody who hates servicemembers as much as Donald Trump has openly said he does is fit to command them.
- Lying about reality doesn't change it.