Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a Navy Reserve veteran who deployed to Afghanistan, said President Donald Trump owes troops “some respect” after dismissing concerns about the USS Abraham Lincoln’s nearly nine-month deployment. Buttigieg made the comments in an interview with MS NOW’s Jacob Soboroff while campaigning in Nevada.
Buttigieg: “He Needs to Show Some Respect to the Troops”
Asked to respond to Trump’s remark that the Lincoln’s deployment had been “not nearly long enough,” Buttigieg said, “He needs to show some respect to the troops that he is sending into harm’s way, and he has done the opposite. The way he is talking about, and more importantly, treating the military members and military families is completely, completely unacceptable.”
Trump Dismissed Family Concerns at Joint Base Andrews
Soboroff played Buttigieg a clip of Trump’s exchange with reporters Friday at Joint Base Andrews, sourced from official White House video. Asked about family members’ concerns over conditions aboard the Lincoln, Trump said, “Well, no, that ship is moving. No, they’re not. That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship.” Asked whether the deployment had gone on too long, Trump said: “No, no, no. Not nearly long enough.”
Buttigieg Says Military Leadership “Shouldn’t Matter” by Party
Buttigieg, who served six years in the Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer, said troops are trained to serve regardless of which party holds the presidency. “When you sign up to serve, and I know what that’s like, you do so knowing that the top of your chain of command, the secretary of defense, the president, may be from this party or that party over the course of your military career,” he said. “It’s not supposed to matter because it’s not about politics for you. But the way that it’s happening right now is that they have sought to politicize the military.”
Buttigieg Says Active-Duty Troops Approached Him in Airport
Buttigieg said he encountered service members directly affected by the political climate around the military. “Just yesterday in the airport, I had two different active duty troops come up to me talking about some of the pressure they feel that they’re under and the distractions they’re experiencing because of what’s happening at the top of their chain of command, which just should not be their problem.”
Buttigieg Says Trump Should Offer Support Even Without Fixing Conditions
Buttigieg argued that regardless of whether the administration addresses the underlying issues aboard the ship, Trump owes troops basic acknowledgment of their sacrifice. “Even if this White House and this Pentagon are failing to shorten the historic record-breaking length of deployments, even if they are failing to improve the conditions on the ships, which by the way is unacceptable, but even if that’s the case, the very least that they can and should do is show some regard for the sacrifice that those service members are making.”
Buttigieg Deployed to Afghanistan as Navy Intelligence Officer
Buttigieg served in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2009 to 2017, reaching the rank of lieutenant, and was mobilized for a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan in 2014 while serving as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He worked as an intelligence officer tracking insurgent financing networks as part of a task force based in Kabul.
Interview Came While Campaigning for Nevada Congressional Candidate
Buttigieg spoke with MS NOW while in Nevada campaigning for Teresa Benitez-Thompson, the Democratic nominee for Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District and a former majority leader of the Nevada Assembly, ahead of the November midterms. The seat is open following the retirement of longtime Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, and Benitez-Thompson faces retired Air Force Lt. Col. David Flippo in the general election.
Buttigieg Leads Early Polling for 2028 Democratic Nomination
The Nevada trip came as Buttigieg has topped early polling for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, leading a New Hampshire survey with 20% support among Democratic primary voters, ahead of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who tied for second at 15% each. Buttigieg told Fox News Digital he plans to campaign for candidates in several other states, including Ohio, Georgia and Pennsylvania, ahead of the midterms.
Buttigieg Also Criticized Hegseth Directly
Beyond his criticism of Trump, Buttigieg said both the president and defense secretary bore responsibility for the situation aboard the Lincoln, saying the two men “failed this country” and “failed our troops” in their handling of the deployment and its conditions, according to MS NOW’s summary of the interview.
Buttigieg Also Addressed Transportation Department “Corruption” Claims
The wide-ranging interview also touched on what Buttigieg described as “corruption” surrounding the Department of Transportation under the current administration, though the segment focused primarily on his reaction to the Lincoln deployment and Trump’s comments about it.
Deployment Has Drawn Sustained Congressional Criticism
The Lincoln left San Diego on Nov. 21, 2025, and has remained deployed in support of U.S. operations against Iran for more than 260 days, drawing letters and public criticism from numerous Democratic lawmakers over reported supply shortages, plumbing problems and mental health strain among the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have both disputed the most severe characterizations of conditions on the ship, while acknowledging some supply disruptions tied to the surrounding combat environment.