Donald Trump hails Musk after Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore's return, ‘Elon is able to do that with his genius’

“Elon is able to do that with his genius, yet there are people who hate it, and I really believe these are people who hate our country,” Donald Trump said.

Published on: Mar 19, 2025, 10:08:24 IST

By Sumanti Sen

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President Donald Trump gave a huge shoutout to Elon Musk after the SpaceX Crew Dragon brought astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore back home. The astronauts returned home after being stuck in space for nine months.

Donald Trump hails Elon Musk's ‘genius’ over Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore's return (REUTERS)

Reiterating the claim that Joe Biden abandoned the astronauts, Trump said in an interview with Fox News, hailing Musk as a “patriot,” “When I got into office, I said ‘Elon, we gotta get them out of there…Elon is able to do that with his genius, yet there are people who hate it, and I really believe these are people who hate our country.”

Meanwhile, Musk thanked Trump for giving importance to the mission, and congratulated SpaceX and NASA. “Congratulations to the @SpaceX and @NASA teams for another safe astronaut return!” he posted on X. “Thank you to @POTUS for prioritizing this mission!”

‘PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT’

NASA astronauts Williams and Wilmore splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule just before 6 pm EST Tuesday, March 18. “Butch, Suni, on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home,” a mission-control dispatcher radioed the crew shortly after the capsule Dragon Freedom splashed down.

The White House took to X to remind the world that Trump kept his promise to bring the astronauts back safely. “PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT: President Trump pledged to rescue the astronauts stranded in space for nine months,” the White House wrote. “Today, they safely splashed down in the Gulf of America, thanks to @ElonMusk, @SpaceX, and @NASA!”

Meanwhile, Trump also said he expects to welcome Wilmore and Williams to the Oval Office once they “get better.” “Number one, they have to get better,” Trump told Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham. “You know, when you’re up there and you have no pull in your muscle, you have no gravity, you can lift 1,000 pounds like this.”

“They have to get, they have to get better. It’s going to be a little bit tough for them. It’s not easy. They were up there a long time, and when they do, they’ll come to the Oval Office,” he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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