Maher on USS Abraham Lincoln conditions: 'It just makes my blood boil'
The Hill · C · trust 66/100
Comments: by Finya Swai - 08/15/26 3:25 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Finya Swai - 08/15/26 3:25 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Comedian Bill Maher condemned the reported harsh conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on Friday, saying accounts of food shortages and broken toilets the sailors onboard have worked under made his “blood boil.”
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao announced on Friday that the aircraft carrier would be returning to the U.S. from deployment after spending more than 250 days at sea, following reports from news outlets of poor conditions including moldy showers and rotten food, and the declining mental health of the sailors.
“When I hear about troops being on a ship where the toilets aren’t working and there’s not enough food ... it just makes my blood boil,” Maher said during a panel discussion on his HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
Maher argued Republicans are often insulated from political consequences on issues involving the military, accusing them of having what he called “patriotic immunity.”
“They can do things that are so unpatriotic and then they don’t seem to pay a price for it the way a Democrat would,” he said.
Pollster Kristen Anderson, who joined Maher on the panel, suggested frustration among the sailors, including reports that some have attempted to jump off the aircraft carrier, could also stem from uncertainty about the Iran war.
“They may not feel like they’re there for any kind of mission that’s worth fighting for,” Anderson said.
Maher pushed back on that assertion, arguing that while confronting Iran was a legitimate objective, the Trump administration mishandled the effort.
“There was a mission worth fighting,” Maher said, pointing to Iran’s possibility of having a nuclear weapon and destabilization in the Middle East. “We f—ed it up how we did it.”
The aircraft carrier’s deployment, which carries 5,000 sailors and Marines, was initially expected to end in May but has been extended as U.S. forces remain engaged in the Middle East.
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