Kevin Lamarque
Asked to comment on the news of a Navy warship collision that left 10 sailors missing and five others injured late Sunday, President Trump told reporters, “That’s too bad.” The president reportedly offered no further remarks to journalists on the situation but took to Twitter later that night to offer his condolences. “Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway,” Trump wrote. It was not clear whether Trump had been briefed on the accident before offering his initial response. The USS John S. McCain, a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer, collided with a merchant ship just east of the Singapore and Malacca Straits on Sunday. The U.S. Navy said search and rescue operations were ongoing to locate 10 sailors who went missing in the crash. The ship suffered damage to its port side but was able to sail back to port on its own, authorities said. The incident comes less than three months after seven sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald crashed into a Japanese merchant ship.