After being stuck in space for nine months and requiring rescue from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Trump was taken aback to discover that the two astronauts would not receive compensation. Therefore, he plans to cover it himself.
On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he would personally pay the overtime for astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, who returned to Earth this week following a nine-month space mission that had originally been scheduled for just eight days.
During a press briefing in the Oval Office, Trump was questioned about the overtime compensation.
“No one has ever brought this up to me. If needed, I’ll cover it from my own funds,” Trump responded to a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy. “Is that all? That’s not much considering what they’ve been through.”
NASA’S STRANDED ASTRONAUTS WELCOME THEIR REPLACEMENTS ARRIVING ON SPACEX CAPSULE
The first image from a SpaceX video shows dolphins swimming near a SpaceX capsule on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, after it landed off the coast of Florida with NASA astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Ale ((SpaceX via AP) / AP Images)
Doocy pointed out that Wilmore and Williams received a per diem of $5 for each day in space, totaling $1,430 in additional pay.
President Donald Trump updates the public on the NASA astronauts who were stranded and making their way back to Earth.
Williams and Wilmore reached the International Space Station in June for what they thought would be an eight-day trip. They were returned this week by a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, nearly 286 days after their departure from Earth.
While addressing the media, Trump expressed gratitude towards Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who also leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
ELON MUSK’S SPACEX RESPONDS TO RESCUE MISSION FOR STRANDED NASA ASTRONAUTS
Panelists Ned Ryun and Tomi Lahren commend and celebrate the return of the stranded NASA astronauts on ‘The Evening Edit.’
“Imagine if we didn’t have him?” Trump remarked. “If it weren’t for Elon, they could have been up there a lot longer. Who else could have done it?”
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He also highlighted that the “body begins to deteriorate” after several months spent in space.
