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The Navy disclosed 8 suicide attempts after right-wing media dismissed reporting about conditions on the USS Lincoln as “Persian propaganda”

Written by Gideon Taaffe & Helena Hind

Published

As reporting emerged in August that the servicemembers on the USS Abraham Lincoln faced poor conditions and declining mental health — evidenced by at least one servicemember overboard incident — right-wing media dismissed the stories as a “misrepresentation in the media,” “an information op,” and “Persian propaganda.” The carrier was deployed in the Middle East for nine months during the Trump administration’s Operation Epic Fury. 

On September 22, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao disclosed that eight personnel across the Lincoln strike group attempted suicide.

  • Earlier reporting on deteriorating conditions and apparent suicide attempts across the Lincoln strike group now confirmed by Navy

    • In August, there were reports about poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, including stories “of deteriorating conditions — and of deteriorating mental health, including apparent attempts by crewmembers to jump overboard.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said at the time that the reports were “overstated” and President Donald Trump said the nine-month deployment was not long enough. Dr. Philip Hunt, a former Navy physician deployed on multiple submarine missions, told NPR: “Denial of this unit's deteriorating operational conditions is highly detrimental to the crew's morale,” adding, “The result can include anger, anxiety, or eventually mental exhaustion and depression.” According to NPR, “Hunt says he blames leadership at the highest levels for the lack of recognition of this hardship.” [NPR, 8/21/26]
    • In late September, after the USS Lincoln started its journey back home, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told Congress that eight personnel across the Lincoln strike group attempted suicide. According to CNN, “‘Eight attempted suicides is incredibly high,’ one US military official told CNN, noting recent carrier strike group deployments have had one or two per year. ‘The strain of combat ops is much higher than normal deployments. No port calls, constant alerts, etc.’” CNN also noted, “The rate of suicide attempts among the Lincoln strike group’s sailors was roughly consistent with that of the entire active duty Navy in 2024.” [The New York Times, 8/20/26; CNN, 9/23/26]

  • “Persian propaganda” and an “information op”: Right-wing media dismissed reports about the Lincoln and its crew’s mental health

    • Steve Bannon, host of War Room, suggested low morale is “just the reality of life at sea” and accused media outlets of spreading “Persian propaganda.” Bannon: “If you go on board a ship, a 5,000-man ship, personnel ship, you're clearly going to have some sailors that are not happy. And there's a saying in the Navy, If they ain't bitching, they're not happy, right. It’s just the reality of life at sea. And, look, these sailors are the best in the world. In fact, sometimes when they’re bitching is when they’re doing their best work. … It’s heroic what they've done. I think the media here jumped on the Persian propaganda.” [Real America’s Voice, War Room, 8/14/26]
    • Fox News senior strategic analyst retired Gen. Jack Keane dismissed reports of attempted suicide aboard the USS Lincoln, saying, “I’ve never seen such misrepresentation in the media of the actual facts that took place.” Keane continued, “A soldier fell overboard and was rescued. They were claiming that multiple soldiers were committing suicide. … But the reality is the misrepresentation has really been quite significant.” [Fox News, America's Newsroom, 8/17/26]
    • Newsmax host Carl Higbie attacked the reporters covering the story as “a bunch of reporters who have never sacrificed anything in their lives” and said reports of low morale were an “invented narrative.” He also dismissed CNN’s reporting about conditions aboard the USS Lincoln, saying, “CNN has led the absolute charge in painting conditions as dismal, but I just remember when they were reporting from that ship, I don’t know, a month ago, they were there eating ice cream and playing cards with the sailors. And when they spoke to the ship’s commander, he made it clear that the deployment’s never been, you know, that tough, but it is what you sign up for.” [Newsmax, Carl Higbie Frontline, 8/18/26]
    • On Fox’s The Big Weekend Show, Fox News host Johnny “Joey” Jones attacked a sailor who spoke about the conditions aboard the USS Lincoln, asking “How weak are you?” Jones said: “How weak are you on TV complaining about tuna and noodles? I’m sorry, you volunteered to serve your country, you can come back and get out of the military and do like all the Democrat veterans and complain about it and make commercials and be a sellout.” [Fox News, The Big Weekend Show, 8/15/26]
    • After celebrating the achievements of the Lincoln’s crew, Salem News host Scott Jennings undercut concerns about their mental health, saying, “What’s going on here is another attempt by media and by Democrats to take a story where there are some facts, to spin it into a narrative where there are less facts, and to grind a political axe against President Donald J. Trump.” Jennings also said, “The narrative is that all the sailors are unhappy and that the ship is breaking down. But the stats tell you that 84% of the crew, well, they are reenlisting to continue to serve on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The ship also currently has among the lowest mental health cases reported across the Navy’s 11 aircraft carriers.” [Salem Radio Channel, The Scott Jennings Show, 8/18/26]
    • Jennings also claimed, “It’s an information op wrapped up in our military service people, and it’s designed to create a narrative that just isn’t real. And, again, it’s all in service of politics.” He continued later: “I assume this must rankle Secretary Hegseth and the other people over at the Pentagon, the use of our military and, frankly, the lying about, you know, what condition they’re in. Not only is it for politics, but they must believe it gives aid and comfort to the enemy.” [Salem Radio Network, The Scott Jennings Show, 8/19/26]
    • Former Trump lawyer and podcast host Rudy Giuliani on the length of USS Lincoln’s deployment: “It's terrible what's happened to them and their families, but that’s a lot less than in the Revolutionary War.” Giuliani added, “My uncle was in a combat zone four times that number, I don’t remember him ever complaining or crying about it. I don’t see anybody on the ship complaining or crying about it.” [YouTube, America’s Mayor Live, 8/19/26]