President Donald Trump had an awkward exchange in the Oval Office as he met NASA‘s Artemis II crew and complimented NASA administrator’s ‘beautiful ears.’
As the president was asked if he would consider moving NASA’s headquarters once their lease is up in Washington DC, Trump turned to ask if Administrator Jared Isaacman heard the same question.
‘Well, the best man to tell you that is a man standing right over here,’ Trump said on Wednesday afternoon. ‘You heard that question with those beautiful ears of yours?’
‘He’s got great hearing. You know, he’s got super hearing,’ the president added, prompting an uncomfortable chuckle from Isaacman stood beside members of the Artemis II crew.
‘Trick of the trade, sir,’ Isaacman responded before he went on to answer the question.
‘I think the answer to that is that we have ten amazing centers around the country that all kind of bubble up to contribute to the mission we’re able to undertake, like Artemis II.
‘I think in terms of the headquarters we have a lot of people very interested in our mission, so being here in DC gives us the opportunity to kind of interact from all our stakeholders [and] make sure we make the right decisions for our nation.’
The moment had John Hudson, a reporter for the Washington Post who was in the room at the time, reposting it on X and writing that he ‘can’t believe that just happened.’
President Donald Trump had an awkward exchange in the Oval Office on Wednesday as he met NASA’s Artemis II crew and complimented NASA administrator’s ‘beautiful ears’
Trump turned to ask if Administrator Jared Isaacman heard a question from the press, and said Isaacman has ‘super hearing’
The presser saw Trump alongside the four members of the Artemis II crew, NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen
While silence fell over the Oval Office, the moment had users on social media amused with one who wrote: ‘We’re surely living in a simulation.’
‘Couldn’t believe it till I saw the video,’ a second user said. ‘Something straight out of The Office.’
‘I think the Administrator can take it. He’s doing a hell of a good job,’ another wrote.
‘”In space, he CAN hear you scream,”‘ one commenter joked.
Others, however, were less pleased with the call-out from the president.
‘So insensitive, the guy is literally in charged of NASA and all Trump can do is make fun of his ears? Ridiculous,’ one said.
‘Not that he’s ever had a filter…but he really doesn’t have a filter now. Crass. Cruel.’
‘Everyday is a humiliation ritual for everyone in that regime,’ a third said.
The Artemis II astronauts during a welcoming ceremony at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base on April 11 after their safe return to Earth the day before
NASA celebrated its successful voyage around the Moon, after the astronauts returned to Earth having completed the first lunar flyby in more than 50 years
The crew returned from their journey earlier this month, as Trump praised them as heroes on Wednesday of a mission that marked a major milestone in NASA’s return to deep space
The press conference saw Trump alongside the four members of the Artemis II crew, NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The crew returned from their historic journey around the moon earlier this month on April 10, as Trump praised them as heroes on Wednesday of a mission that marked a major milestone in NASA’s return to deep space.
‘That was a lot of rocket under them. I don’t know how they do it. I wouldn’t want to do it, but it takes people like this to make our country great,’ the president said.
Trump told the Oval Office the administration’s plans to begin the military branch Space Force in his first term, once again touching on his plans to release classified material on UFO’s and that there is a ‘good shot’ another person would reach the moon’s surface during his second term, the New York Times reported.
‘We don’t like to say definitely, because then you say, “Oh, we failed.” So we have a good shot. We’ve authorized it,’ the president continued.
Isaacman confirmed that plans were in motion to land on the moon again in 2028 and discussed the continuation of Artemis II’s mission in 2027.
The crew’s welcome to the Oval Office came as the Trump Administration has proposed cuts to NASA’s education, research and diversity program.
The proposition, while boosting funding toward space exploration, would cut NASA’s budget by $5.6 billion.
Trump told the Oval Office on Wednesday that there is a ‘good shot’ another person would reach the moon’s surface during his second term
The Artemis II crew, from left, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, back, group hug on stage during their first public appearance after their mission
The crew’s welcome to the Oval Office came as the Trump Administration has proposed cuts to NASA’s education, research and diversity program
Casey Dreier, the chief of space policy for the Planetary Society, told the Times: ‘The cuts to science would literally turn off dozens of missions in space right now, returning incredibly rare and unique science.’
However, the funding would support the goal of landing on the moon again, as Isaacman said on Wednesday: ‘We’re back in the business of launching moon rockets with frequency.’
The Daily Mail reached out to NASA and the White House for comment.
