Topic overview
Briefly
- Sailors on USS Lincoln reported low morale and food shortages.
- Fox News host Joey Jones called them weak and compared to his own service.
- Trump and Hegseth denied or downplayed the reports.
What happened
Fox News anchor Joey Jones, a former Marine Corps staff sergeant who lost both legs in Afghanistan, responded angrily to a CNN report about poor conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The aircraft carrier has been deployed to the Middle East since November 21, 2025, and sailors have reported low morale, food shortages, and mental health issues. In the CNN segment, an unnamed service member described eating only noodles and tuna, sometimes with a corndog or hot dog. Jones, on "The Big Weekend Show" Saturday night, called the sailors "weak" and compared their complaints to his own experience eating Ramen noodles in Afghanistan. He also criticized "Democrat veterans" who complain after leaving the military. The Trump administration has dismissed the reports. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military provides everything it can, and President Donald Trump denied reports of sailors jumping overboard, saying the deployment is "not nearly long enough." The carrier is expected to be replaced soon, but the exact timeline is unclear. The situation has drawn attention to the challenges of extended deployments and the treatment of service members.
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