Donald Trump: Authorized Elon Musk to bring back American astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore

Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump said that he has given Elon Musk permission to return American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stuck in the International Space Station since June of last year.

Regarding the two astronauts, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, “You shouldn’t have been up there for so long, and we’re coming up to get you. We love you, astronauts. This President will not allow that to happen to you, unlike the most inept President in our history. Our goal is to remove them. We’ll be over to pick you up. They’ve been left up there, you know, so I’ve given Elon permission. I’m hoping they get along. However, they have; maybe they will fall in love. I’m not sure. They were abandoned up there.

“And I see the woman with the wild hair, good, solid head of hair she’s got,” Trump stated in reference to Sunita Williams. No joking here. Her hair isn’t being played with. However, there is also a risk up there, you know. Up there, they may have some setbacks. That would be terrible. You need to remove them. Elon was given my permission a week ago. I said that Biden and Kamala had left two individuals up there. And he is fully aware of it. “Are you prepared to get him?” I asked. “Yeah, he has a starship,” responded Elon. And they’re now getting it ready.”

When the two astronauts returned, Trump promised to welcome them. “Well, I’ll welcome them when they return. What about that? We will get them out, no, no. Elon Musk has my permission to go grab them. And he’s willing to do it.”

According to the New York Post, the two astronauts have been stuck since June 2024, when a problem with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was discovered, causing it to return without them.

Musk’s SpaceX sent a Crew Dragon spacecraft to rescue the two in September, according to the New York Post. The capsule docked at the space station, but NASA decided to postpone its return.

According to the report, NASA said in December that the two astronauts would have to wait for another SpaceX rescue ship to send replacement scientists “no earlier than late March,” after which they would have to go through an undisclosed handover period before leaving.