US White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, during her press briefing, said that the rescue of NASA Crew-9 astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov was a historic mission under US President Donald Trump.
She said, "We saw the very best of America. After spending nearly 300 days aboard the International Space Station, Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams are back on Earth. These two incredible astronauts were only supposed to be up there for 8 days. But because of the Biden administration's lack of urgency, they ended up spending 9 months in space. Joe Biden's lack of courage to act boldly and decisively was a big reason why Butch and Sunny did not make it back until yesterday."
She added, "But President Trump doesn't waste time. Immediately after taking office, President Trump directed Elon Musk and SpaceX to rescue these brave astronauts alongside NASA. The president also called the acting administrator of NASA and told her to bring the astronauts home as soon as possible, as acting administrator Janet Petro said herself yesterday."
She also mentioned, "Per President Trump's direction, NASA and SpaceX worked diligently to pull the schedule a month earlier. The president looks forward to welcoming Butch and Sunny to the Oval Office when they are recovered. This historic mission brings new meaning to President Trump's promise to always look out for the forgotten."
