Trump Makes a Generous Offer to Astronauts Stranded in Space by Joe Biden [WATCH]

President Donald Trump has committed to personally compensating two U.S. astronauts who were stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly nine months after the Biden-Harris administration failed to bring them home in a timely manner.

In a response to a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy, Trump stated he would cover the astronauts’ lost pay “out of my own pocket.”

“Well, nobody’s ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I’ll pay that in my own pocket, okay? I’ll get it for you. I like that idea. I’ll pay it right out of my— is that all? That’s not a lot, for what they had to go through,” Trump said.

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Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore, 62, and Sunita “Suni” Williams, 59, finally returned to Earth on March 18 after being stranded in space for 286 days.

Their mission was originally scheduled to last only eight days, but delays with Boeing’s Starliner return spacecraft left them stuck in orbit far longer than planned.

The extended stay aboard the ISS was exacerbated by the Biden-Harris administration’s slow response to launch a rescue mission.

Reports indicated that the administration hesitated to approve a rescue mission, fearing potential political fallout if the operation went wrong.

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As a result, the astronauts were forced to continue their work aboard the space station, conducting more than 150 scientific experiments while NASA scrambled to devise a plan to bring them home.

The astronauts’ return was long overdue.

They splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, just before 6 p.m. Eastern Time, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, marking the end of their lengthy stay in orbit.

Along with Wilmore and Williams, astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov also made the return journey.

Despite their extended mission, the astronauts received no overtime pay for their 286-day ordeal.

Instead, they were given a daily per diem of just $5, totaling $1,430 for their time in space. This was far below what many would expect for such a lengthy and challenging mission.

JUST IN: Trump announces he’s willing to pay overtime out of his OWN POCKET for the astronauts who were stranded in Space for 10 months

What a guy.

The federal government had only been paying them $5 PER DAY for the 10 months they were up there pic.twitter.com/MnUc7GSDZJ

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 21, 2025

Wilmore and Williams, along with the rest of their crew, continued conducting critical research during their extended stay.

They studied the effects of microgravity on human physiology and ran technology demonstrations intended for future deep-space missions.

These important tasks were essential to advancing human space exploration, but the astronauts’ time on the ISS was marked by the uncertainty surrounding their return.

The crew’s rescue mission began at 1 a.m. on March 18, and it lasted for 17 hours before the Crew Dragon capsule made its high-speed reentry into Earth’s atmosphere.

Traveling at speeds of 17,500 miles per hour, the capsule deployed parachutes to slow down to just 16 miles per hour before impacting the ocean.

Recovery teams quickly retrieved the astronauts and transported them to Houston for medical evaluations and rehabilitation.

Prolonged exposure to microgravity requires recovery efforts to address muscle atrophy and bone density loss, which are common among astronauts after extended stays in space.

Despite the hardships they endured, Wilmore and Williams played vital roles in the success of their mission, contributing significantly to ongoing research that could benefit future space missions.

Their return, after a prolonged and challenging ordeal, serves as a reminder of the dedication and resilience of astronauts who work to advance human knowledge beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

President Trump’s offer to personally compensate the astronauts highlights his commitment to supporting the men and women who serve in the nation’s space program, especially in the face of administrative delays and mismanagement.

The issue has sparked conversation about the handling of the astronauts’ return, and Trump’s promise to make up for their lost pay may garner attention in the ongoing debate over space policy and government accountability.

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