Don't fall for claim Trump said 'only suckers and losers would enlist' in US Navy and then complain

A purported screenshot on social media was little more than a fabricated reprise of a popular Trump criticism that began in 2020. Published Aug. 17, 2026 Claim: A screenshot authentically shows an August 2026 Truth Social post in which U.S. President Donald Trump said, "Only suckers and losers would enlist, go to sea on an aircraft carrier, and then complain and send their family nasty notes about our military. They weren't at sea long enough." Rating: A rumor that U.S. President Trump posted a degrading message on social media about service members aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln circulated online in mid-August 2026. People on social media shared a purported screenshot of a Truth Social post in which Trump allegedly wrote, "Only suckers and losers would enlist, go to sea on an aircraft carrier, and then complain and send their family nasty notes about our military. They weren't at sea long enough." The screenshot also appeared to include text added by a user that read, "not the first time he called them suckered or losers." (Twitter user @Charlie22825276) The rumor spread online as reports spread of sailors trying to jump overboard due to mental health hardships and strain caused by a lengthy deployment, which Trump reportedly said on Aug. 14, 2026, was "not nearly long enough." The widespread sharing of the purported screenshot led to numerous Snopes readers contacting us for more information on its authenticity. The post was fake. A search of the president's X and Truth Social accounts and an online archive of Trump's social media posts revealed no such post. Additionally, the purported screenshot does not visually match Trump's actual Truth Social page. The screenshot featured no icon signifying Trump's account as part of "Truth+," the platform's premium service, and the font didn't match what is used on Truth Social. Further, it was clear from the fake screenshot that the post text was overlaying the icons displayed on the platform, which would not occur if the screenshot was legitimate. Rather, it appeared the originator of the fake post used a screenshot of an old Truth Social post and added their own text on top of it. A reverse image search on Google using the screenshot of the alleged post returned only other instances of users sharing the fake post. A reverse image search on TinEye of the same screenshot returned no results. The screenshot circulated amid reports of poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had been deployed for nine months as of this writing, setting a record for uninterrupted time at sea, according to The Associated Press. Trump reportedly downplayed reports of supply issues and mental health struggles aboard the vessel. On Aug. 17, Adm. Brad Cooper, the U.S. Central Command commander, published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal about visiting the ship, writing, "Issues related to food, hot water and other concerns raised months ago were addressed by leadership and resolved." The White House's website posted about Cooper's visit and linked to the op-ed. The additional claim that Trump had previously called service members "suckers" and "losers" referred to a rumor that began circulating in 2020, stemming from a piece in The Atlantic citing anonymous sources. Snopes investigated that rumor, but we found no credible evidence the president had ever said as much publicly and couldn't say for certain whether he had or hadn't said it in private. Sources Brown, Bridget, et al. "Live Updates: Trump Calls Concerns About Conditions on USS Lincoln 'Fake.'" AP News, 17 Aug. 2026, https://apnews.com/live/trump-news-pentagon-updates-08-17-2026. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.Cooper, Brad. "USS Lincoln: Performance For the Ages." The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal, 17 Aug. 2026, https://www.wsj.com/opinion/uss-lincoln-performance-for-the-ages-0bd6300d.Ibrahim, Nur. "Unpacking Claim Trump Called Fallen US Soldiers 'Suckers' and 'Losers.'" Snopes, Snopes.com, 11 Nov. 2024, https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/11/11/trump-soldiers-suckers-losers/. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026."ICYMI: 'USS Lincoln: Performance for the Ages.'" The White House, 17 Aug. 2026, https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/08/icymi-uss-lincoln-performance-for-the-ages/. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.Konstantin Toropin and Aamer Madhani. "Trump Says USS Lincoln's Deployment 'Not Nearly Long Enough.'" AP News, 14 Aug. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-aircraft-carrier-uss-lincoln-023413c38373d4a6ba033612a1f552c6. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.Oliverio, Natalie. "Multiple USS Abraham Lincoln Sailors Have Tried to Go Overboard Amid Extended Deployment, Families Say." Navy Times, 11 Aug. 2026, https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/08/11/multiple-uss-abraham-lincoln-sailors-have-tried-to-go-overboard-amid-extended-deployment-families-say/. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.The Associated Press. "US Commander Visits USS Lincoln, Hamas and Kushner in Egypt for Gaza Talks." AP News, 16 Aug. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-lebanon-gaza-uss-lincoln-august-16-2026-98f43f920c102080a3526981cf0dd7b8. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.---. "US Commander Visits USS Lincoln, Hamas and Kushner in Egypt for Gaza Talks." AP News, 16 Aug. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-lebanon-gaza-uss-lincoln-august-16-2026-98f43f920c102080a3526981cf0dd7b8. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026."Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are 'Losers' and 'Suckers' - the Atlantic." 1 Apr. 2023. By Joey Esposito Joey Esposito has written for a variety of entertainment publications. He's into music, video games ... and birds. Article Tags