‘That’s been the rhetoric’: Astronauts ‘stranded’ in space refute Donald Trump’s claims that Joe Biden abandoned them
NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been in space since June, are correcting the narrative after Donald Trump claimed the Biden administration left the pair stranded in space.
Williams and Wilmore boarded the Boeing Starliner last year in what was supposed to be a week-long roundtrip test flight. However, technical difficulties and a wait in launching a new capsule to the International Space Station to bring them home led to their homecoming being delayed by almost a year. The pair are finally expected to return in March. Given that they happened to board the Starliner during Joe Biden’s presidency and were still there when he left office, Trump jumped at the opportunity to blame him for the situation. He quickly tried to play the hero, describing how he and Elon Musk would rescue the “brave” astronauts Biden “virtually abandoned.” Musk also began touting a bizarre claim that Biden refused to rescue the astronauts out of hatred for Musk and SpaceX, even though he knew NASA was working with SpaceX as early as August 2024.
Politics aside, though, more individuals than just Trump have wrongfully tried to control these astronauts’ narratives. While well-meaning, many citizens and media outlets seem to forget that these are NASA astronauts with tremendous experience. Williams is one of the most experienced spacewalkers in the world and has boasted two space missions during her decades-long career with NASA, while NASA selected Wilmore as a pilot after he logged over 8,000 flight hours as a U.S. Navy test pilot. It is a disservice to assume these professionals aren’t in control of their situation or need Trump and Musk to rescue them. Now, they’re finally taking charge of their own narrative, as they should.
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore set the record straight
Weeks before their anticipated homecoming, Williams and Wilmore gave an interview from space, speaking with CNN‘s Anderson Cooper. During the interview, Cooper asked them about their thoughts on Trump’s claim that Biden abandoned them and left them stranded in space. However, the astronauts deny that they are either abandoned or stranded. Wilmore stated, “That’s been the rhetoric. That’s been the narrative from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck — and I get it. We both get it. But that is, again, not what our human spaceflight program is about. We don’t feel abandoned, we don’t feel stuck, we don’t feel stranded.”
He implored Cooper to help them correct the narrative, stating he preferred the rhetoric of his and Williams’ situation be changed to “prepared and committed.” Williams further emphasized that this was a test flight. They knew exactly what they were signing up for, including the possibility that their stay could be extended. She said, “We knew that we would probably find some things (wrong with Starliner) and we found some stuff, and so that was not a surprise.”
Upon reflecting on Williams and Wilmore’s words, it does seem rather silly that the media and social media users have treated these professionals as if they didn’t know what they were getting into and were left blindsided by their extended stay in space. They have a handle on the situation, as does NASA, considering it has been working for months on getting them home. The problem never really had anything to do with the President. Williams and Wilmore didn’t need saving from either Biden or Trump. Given that Trump will still no doubt try to claim credit for their return, it’s fortunate they are taking back the narrative and ensuring the spotlight stays on our astronauts’ incredible work and sacrifices.
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