Trump Says 2nd Carrier Group to Middle East Will Be Leaving Soon

The president expressed a willingness to support regime change in Iran, saying it ‘seems like that would be the best thing that could happen.’

The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush sails the Atlantic Ocean during an at-sea training exercise on Feb. 8, 2026. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jayden Brown/ U.S. Navy via DVIDS

President Donald Trump told reporters on Feb. 13 that he is sending a second U.S. aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, in case ongoing negotiations with Iran fall through.

Last month, Trump said he had ordered a “massive armada” to deploy to the Middle East. Since then, the USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships in its carrier strike group have reached the nearby Arabian Sea.