Donald Trump hosted the crew of the historic Artemis II lunar flyby mission at the White House on Wednesday, where he suggested he would have been capable of joining them. The four astronauts – Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – met the president in the Oval Office for a press conference.
Trump praised the crew's courage but quickly turned to self-praise, stating: 'To get in there, you have to be very smart... So I would have had no trouble making it, I’m physically very, very good.' The Artemis II crew broke Apollo 13's distance record, reaching 252,756 miles from Earth during their 10-day mission, which ended with a splashdown off San Diego on 10 April.
The press conference soon shifted to other topics, including the Supreme Court's 6-3 decision effectively gutting Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Trump claimed he was unaware of the ruling until asked, but enthusiastically welcomed it, saying 'I love it, this is very good.' He advised states to redraw maps accordingly.
On foreign policy, Trump said US talks with Iran would continue by phone, not in person, to avoid long flights. When asked which conflict would end first – Ukraine or Iran – he appeared to mix up the two, saying 'Ukraine, militarily, they’re defeated' and making inaccurate claims about their naval and air capabilities.
Trump also promised the release of information on UFOs 'in the near future,' suggesting it would be 'very interesting to people.' The event highlighted his focus on self-congratulation and controversial remarks rather than the astronauts' achievements.
