Donald Trump Sends Message To Stranded Astronauts, Jokes He’ll Join Rescue Mission

Donald Trump is sending a message to the two American astronauts awaiting their return to Earth after a months-long delay. The president addressed reporters in the Oval Office on March 6 and claimed that he’d asked “a favor” of Elon Musk to authorize a rescue mission for Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, who have been at the International Space Station since June 2024. It was previously confirmed back in September, however, that a Dragon capsule from Musk’s SpaceX company was docked at the station and awaiting its crew members to complete their ISS work before bringing Williams and Wilmore back home with them later this month. NASA had scrapped earlier efforts to repair the Boeing Starliner the pair initially traveled on for a planned eight-day mission, citing safety concerns. Williams and Wilmore previously clarified their situation in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper in February, however, saying they don’t feel stuck or abandoned and that their extended time in space has been “pretty darn good.”