President Donald Trump spoke with American astronauts aboard the International Space Station on Friday from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. During the call, Trump, who was in Houston to honor the Artemis II crew, referred to the International Space Station (ISS) astronauts as "pioneers" for their work in space exploration.
Trump opened the conversation with a lighthearted remark, acknowledging that many people aspire to travel to space but admitted he personally would not want to undertake such a journey. "I hate to admit it. I would not want to do it. But some people love it more than anything," he said.
The astronauts reported they were "thrilled" to connect with the President and mentioned they were in the midst of spacewalks, with another scheduled for the following week.
Trump extended an invitation to the crew, stating, "We're going to see you when you get back. In fact, if you want Oval Office time, right?"
A short time before speaking with the ISS crew, Trump presented the Artemis II crew with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and signed an executive order to establish the U.S. Space Force Academy. He compared the new academy to established institutions like West Point and the Air Force Academy, asserting it would be "at that same level."