Trump REACTS amid concerning reports aboard USS Abraham Lincoln

E. WEEKS BEFORE THE USS GEORGE. WASHINGTON REPLACES IT. FOR MORE, LET'S BRING IN RETIRED. NAVY CAPTAIN AND FORMER PENTAGON. OFFICIAL BRENT SADLER. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING. US. >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON. JACQUI: LOTS WITH STORY IN TERMS. OF REACTION, BUT FOR OUR. PURPOSES TODAY, YOU HEAR THE. PRESIDENT SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, TALKS ARE ONGOING AND THE U.S. IS GOING TO KEEP THE STRAIT OF. HORMUZ. AND THEN SECRETARY HEGSETH SAYS, YES, WE CAN MAINTAIN THAT NAVAL. BLOCKADE INDEFINITELY, IT GIVES. THESE FAMILIES OF THE SERVICE.

MEMBERS A QUESTION OF, IS THIS. GOING TO BECOME THE NORM, THESE. VERY, VERY LONG DEPLOYMENTS? SHOULD PEOPLE START TO EXPECT. THAT? >> SADLY, IT'S BECOME THE NORM. FIRST THING IS, THE WORLD IS AN. ENCLOSINGLY DANGEROUS PLACE --. INCH CREASINGLY DANGEROUS PLACE. WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF. CHOOSING TO NOT BE PRESENT. CERTAINLY, WE HAVE TO BE PRESENT. RIGHT NOW TO FINISH THE MISSION. WITH IRAN IN THE ARABIAN SEA AND. THE PERSIAN GULF. BACK TO THE POINT ABOUT WHY THIS. HAS BEEN NORMALIZED, THESE LONG.

DEPLOYMENTS, SPECIFICALLY FOR. AIRCRAFT CARRIERS BUT ALSO, IMPORTANTLY, THE DESTROYERS, THE. PROLOGISTICS SHIPS THAT ARE ALSO. THERE JUST AS LONG. THE REALITY IS WE ARE OPERATING. IN A WORLD WHERE WE NEED 15. CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS, WE ONLY. HAVE 11, AND THAT NUMBER'S GOING. TO GO DOWN FOR DECISIONS THAT. PREDATE PRESIDENT TRUMP. THIS IS ONLY SO MUCH YOU CAN DO. SO WE HAVE TO BE CREATIVE. THE NORM NEEDS TO GO BACK TO SIX. MONTHS, AND THE REALITY IS THAT, AND THOSE THAT SHOULD AND HAVE. THE RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE. APPROPRIATE ACTION, WE NEED TO.

BUILD MORE SHIPS. THAT'S THE CORE PROBLEM, THE. SIMPLE SOLUTION, TO DEAL WITH AN. INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS WORLD. IT'S GOING THE TAKE TIME, BUT. THE WORLD ISN'T GOING TO WAIT. FOR US. JACQUI: THE PRESIDENT'S REACTION. WHEN HE WAS ASKED ABOUT THIS DID. GENERATE SOME SCRUTINY, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HE WAS ASKED IF THEY. WERE OUT FOR TOO LONG, AND HIS. RESPONSE WAS IT WASN'T LONG. ENOUGH. YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HIS SORT OF. THEORY OF THAT CASE IN TERMS OF. THE MISSION. BUT FOR SERVICE MEMBERS HEARING. THAT, YOU WONDER IF THAT'S GOING. TO SETTLE THEIR NERVES AT ALL. >> Reporter: YEAH. I'VE DONE A LOT OF DEPLOYMENTS,

SO I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE. SIX MONTHS NEEDS TO BE THE NORM. JACQUI: OKAY. >> THAT'S THE KEY THING. JACQUI: SPEAKING OF THE. REPLACEMENT SHIP, BRINGS ME TO. MY NEXT QUESTION. THERE'S NOW THIS GAP THAT THE. GEORGE WASHINGTON WILL LEAVE IN. THE PACIFIC. DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERN THAT. THAT GIVES CHINA AN OPENING? >> ALWAYS CONCERNED. THERE'S A LOT OF MESSAGES THAT. WE'VE BEEN SEND THAT ARE MIXED, AND IT'S GOES BACK NOT JUST THE.

CURRENT ADMINISTRATION. AND THAT IS OUR MILITARY. STRENGTH, SPECIFICALLY OUR NAVAL. STRENGTH, IS GOING TO DROP TO A. NADER IN 2027. THE EXACT SAME MOMENT THTHAT. CHINA'S TO GOING TO BE THE MOST. CONFIDENT AND HAVE ALL OF THE. BEST ADVANTAGES. THESE ARE DECISIONS THAT ARE. COMPOUNDING OVER MANY YEARS, SO. WHEN YOU TAKE THE GEORGE. WASHINGTON. AT THE MOMENT THE CHINESE ARE AT. THE PEAK OF THEIR MOST COMPLEX. AND AGGRESSIVE MILITARY. EXERCISES IN THE SOUTH CHINA. SEA, AND YOU MOVE IT TO A FIGHT. IN -- AGAINST IRAN, ONE THEY.

KNOW THAT'S NECESSARY. BUT IT PROVIDES AND SENDS A. SIGNAL THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO. BE PRESENT. NOW, THERE ARE OTHER FORCES THAT. ARE THERE. WE HAVE ALLIES THAT ARE THERE, BUT IT'S REALLY THE THAT SENDS A. SIGNAL. THE QUESTION IS, WHAT WILL THE. CHINESE TAKE FROM IT? I DON'T THINK MOVING THE. CARRIER, THE GEORGE WASHINGTON, OUT OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND. INTO THE ARABIAN SEA IS GOING TO. CHAIN ANYTHING THAT THE CHINESE. WERE PLANNING ALREADY FOR THIS. SUMMER. JACQUI: SO YOU'RE SAYING THEY'RE. PROBABLY NOT GOING TO TAKE. TAIWAN MT. NEXT TWO WEEKS, BUT. THEY MIGHT TRY TO BUZZ A LITTLE.

BIT MORE MAYBE, AND WE NEED TO. HAVE EVERYONE ON GUARD FOR THAT? IS THAT FAIR IN. >> I WOULD SAY THE FILIPINOS ARE. THE ONES MOST LIKELY IN THE. CROSSHAIRS. JACQUI: YEAH. ANOTHER HEADLINE, THE PRESIDENT. ADVISING THAT THE NAVY GO BACK. TO STEAM CATAPULTS FROM THE. ELECTROMAGNETIC LAUNCH SYSTEM. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF REACTION. TO THAT. >> YEAH. JACQUI: DO WE GAIN ANYTHING BY. GOING BACK TO STEAM, IN YOUR. ESTIMATION? >> SO THERE'S A LOT IN IN THIS, SO I'LL JUST FOCUS ON THE.

ENGINEERING AND OPERATION. PERSPECTIVE. FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITH THE USS. FORD AND, AGAIN, THE CHOICE TO. PUT A LOT OF REVOLUTIONARY. DESIGN SYSTEMS NEVER TRIED. BEFORE ON ONE PLATFORM HAS. CREATED A LOT OF PROBLEMS. RIGHT NOW THE NAVY NEEDS TO BE. PUTTING OUT THE PERFORMANCE DATA. THE ON THESE SYSTEMS, THE. ELECTROMAGNETIC RESTING --. [INAUDIBLE]. THE AAG SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE. ELECTROMAGNETIC AMMUNITION. ELEVATORS. THESE THREE SYSTEMS ARE KEY IN. GENERATING THE KIND OF MILITARY.

STRIKE POWER. THEY NEED TO GET THE DATA OUT TO. THE PUBLIC TO SHOW THESE SYSTEMS. ARE PERFORMING AND WE'RE. LEARNING A LOT. NOW, THERE'S A SUPPLY CHAIN. ISSUE THAT ALSO NEEDS TO BE. ADDRESSED. IF THESE NEW SYSTEMS THAT ARE ON. THE USS FORD HAVE COMPONENTS. THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF U.S. SUPPLY. CHAINS, THAT NEEDS TO BE. ADDRESSED. I DON'T HEAR. THAT I DO KNOW IT'S A CONCERN. I'M NOT HEARING ENOUGH ON THAT. EITHER. THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. THAT MIGHT BE A REASON TO GO. BACK TO STEAM. THERE'S ONLY ONE PRODUCER OF. STEAM IN THE UNITED STATES, THAT'S THE U.S. NAVY, THESE. STEAM CATAPULTS.

THE PROBLEM WILL THERE IS THEY. HAVEN'T PRODUCED ONE MORE IF. YEARS, THEY MAINTAIN, YES, BUT. THEY DON'T PRODUCE IT. SO THERE'S ANOTHER QUESTION. AND TO BE CLEAR, THE PRESIDENT'S. ASKING FOR A PLAN. A COURSE OF ACTION, COST BENEFIT. ANALYSIS. HE'S NOT DIRECTING THAT THIS. WILL BE DONE. SO IT'S TIME FOR SOME FORCEFUL. BACKUP, IT'S TIME FOR THE NAVY. TO PUT THE NUMBERS FORWARD. AND IF IT ACTUALLY INDICATES. THESE NEW SYSTEMS ON THE FORD. ARE NOT PERFORMING AND THERE ARE. VULNERABILITIES TO THE SUPPLY. CHAIN, THEN THE I THINK THE. PRESIDENT'S GOING TO BE.

VINDICATED IN DIRECTING THE. INITIATIVE. JACQUI: I REALLY WANT YOUR TAKE. ON THIS, DAILY CALLER REPORTS. THAT CCP OFFICIAL BOUGHT A. BUILDING WITH, LIKE, DIRECT. SIGHT OF THE WHITE HOUSE. COMPLEX. THE OWNER IS INVOLVED IN THE. CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY, STATE. ARMS, INTELLIGENCE. HOW MUCH OF A CONCERN IS THAT, AND, YOU KNOW, SHOULD -- DID. SOMEONE DROP THE BALL HERE? [LAUGHTER]. >> APPARENTLY SO. WHEN YOU'RE WITHIN THAT CLOSE. PROXIMITY, THERE'S A LOT OF EYES. AND SCRUTINY. SAME THING FOR THE PENTAGON.

YEARS AGO AN OVERLOOKING VIEW. GOT A LOT OF ATTENTION. SADLY, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST. TIME. SADLY, THIS PROBABLY WON'T BE. THE LAST TIME. JACQUI: SAFE TO SAY THERE'S. GOING TO BE EYES ON THAT. PROPERTY MANY. >> YES. JACQUI: ALL RIGHT. THAT MAKES ME FEEL A LITTLE.