Alright, folks, buckle up because we’ve got yet another round of “Trump said what?” mixed with a little bit of space drama and a whole lot of political posturing. This time, it involves astronauts, Elon Musk, and—of course—a not-so-subtle jab at President Joe Biden. So, what’s the deal?
Well, according to Trump, he personally “asked a favor” from Musk to bring astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back from the International Space Station. Never mind that the plan to return them via SpaceX’s Dragon capsule has been in place since last year—Trump’s taking credit, and he wants you to know it.
Now, to be fair, Trump has always had a flair for the dramatic. But this time, he’s throwing in an extra twist: claiming that Biden was “embarrassed” by the whole situation and supposedly wanted to just “leave them up there.” Now, let’s pause for a second—does anyone actually believe NASA, an agency that has spent decades ensuring the safety of astronauts, would just abandon two highly trained professionals in orbit? Of course not. But hey, this is politics, and Trump knows how to make a headline.
Tune in tomorrow, Tuesday, March 4, at 11:55 a.m. EST for the Crew-9 pre-departure news conference from the @Space_Station!
Hear from @NASA_Astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore about their mission and upcoming return to Earth. Watch live on NASA+:… pic.twitter.com/tkyGZgqFiM
— NASA’s Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) March 3, 2025
Their return was delayed—through no fault of their own—when NASA discovered some technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, the very vehicle that was supposed to bring them home. Instead of risking their safety, NASA made the call to send the Starliner back to Earth without them, folding the astronauts into SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission instead.
🚨Stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore & Suni Williams just confirmed Elon Musk’s claim…SpaceX offered to bring them home 6 months ago, but Biden supposedly said no for political reasons. Now Trump’s stepping in, pushing for their quick return on a SpaceX rocket. They’ve been up… pic.twitter.com/3kAE3D4MKo
— Fahad Naim (@Fahadnaimb) March 6, 2025
So where does Elon Musk fit into all of this? Well, his SpaceX Dragon capsule has been docked at the ISS since late September, ready and waiting to bring them back when the time comes. The plan has been the same all along: Williams and Wilmore would return aboard the Dragon once Crew-10 arrives to relieve the current astronauts. If all goes according to plan, that launch should happen around March 12, and the long-awaited return trip? Probably around March 19.
But, of course, none of that is as exciting as the idea of Trump swooping in and personally “authorizing” Musk to perform a daring space rescue. It’s a classic example of Trump turning a routine NASA operation into a made-for-TV drama, complete with a villain (Biden), a hero (himself), and a billionaire tech mogul playing the role of “space savior.”
This is just another instance of politics making its way into places it really doesn’t need to be. The astronauts are safe, the plan is in motion, and SpaceX has things under control. Whether Trump “authorized” anything or not? That’s up for debate—but what isn’t is the fact that he sure knows how to take center stage, no matter the situation.
