Astronauts Deny Trump’s Claim They Were ‘Abandoned’ by Biden While Aboard the ISS

NASA Astronauts Push Back on Trump’s ‘Abandonment’ Claim

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who have been on an extended mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to issues with their return spacecraft, have refuted former President Donald Trump’s claim that they were "abandoned" by the Biden administration.

Originally set for a short stay, the two astronauts have remained in space for over eight months due to technical malfunctions, including thruster failures and a helium leak in Boeing’s Starliner capsule. Due to these delays, Trump has repeatedly alleged that the Biden administration neglected the astronauts, even claiming in January that he had enlisted Elon Musk and SpaceX to organize their return. NASA Kennedy Space Center / NASA / JSC / Wikimedia

Trump Calls on Musk to Rescue ‘Stranded’ Astronauts—Musk Responds

Trump’s statement on Truth Social in January read: "I have just asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to 'go get' the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. Good luck Elon!!!" Musk later responded on X, formerly Twitter: "The POTUS has asked SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the Space Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long." Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Astronauts Assert Preparedness Amid Stranded Concerns

However, in a recent interview with CNN, Williams and Wilmore rejected the notion that they were stranded.

"We don't feel abandoned, we don't feel stuck, we don't feel stranded," Wilmore told CNN. "I understand why others may think that, but we come prepared. We come committed." He further emphasized the rigorous training astronauts undergo to handle unexpected circumstances in space. “That is what the human space flight program is; it prepares for any and all contingencies that we can conceive of, and we prepare for those.” NASA / Wikimedia

'Help Us Change the Narrative,' Says Williams

Williams echoed his sentiment, urging a shift in perspective. "So if you'll help us change the rhetoric, help us change the narrative...let's change it to 'prepared and committed' rather than what you've been hearing." NASA provided image / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NASA Confirms Planned Return for Astronauts in March

NASA has confirmed that astronauts Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to return to Earth in March, following months of planning during the Biden administration, according to Newsweek. The agency has provided regular updates on the mission, with a December statement—issued while Biden was still president—emphasizing that the International Space Station (ISS) had received two resupply missions in November. NASA Johnson Space Center / Wikimedia