Trump to Stranded Astronauts: “We’re Coming Up to Get You”; Musk Authorized; TikTok Extension “Probably”

In a wide-ranging March 2025 exchange with reporters, President Trump sent a message to the astronauts stranded on the International Space Station: “We love you and we’re coming up to get you. You shouldn’t have been up there so long. The most incompetent president in our history allowed that to happen to you.” He revealed he had “authorized Elon a week ago” to retrieve them using SpaceX’s Starship and joked about joining the mission himself: “Should I go on that journey, just to be on the ship?” Trump also said he would “probably” extend the TikTok deal deadline if needed, and demanded that MSNBC hosts Nicole Wallace and Rachel Maddow “be forced to resign” for their comments about DJ Daniel, the 13-year-old cancer survivor he had honored at the joint address.

”We Love You and We’re Coming Up to Get You”

Peter Doocy asked the question that had captured public imagination since the Biden-era space debacle: “What is your message to the astronauts stuck in space?”

Trump’s response combined warmth, humor, and a sharp indictment of his predecessor.

“I’m sure that they will see this in space,” Trump said. “We love you and we’re coming up to get you. And you shouldn’t have been up there so long. The most incompetent president in our history has allowed that to happen to you. But this president won’t let it happen. We’re going to get them out.”

The astronauts had been stranded aboard the International Space Station after their Boeing Starliner capsule experienced technical failures that prevented a safe return. The Biden administration had been unable to resolve the situation before leaving office, leaving the astronauts in orbit far longer than their mission had planned.

Trump described his personal intervention. “We’re coming up to get you. I’ve authorized Elon,” he said. “I said, ‘Can you get them out?’ Because, you know, they’ve been left up there.”

He added characteristic color: “I hope they like each other. They’ve been maybe they’ll love each other. I don’t know. But they’ve been left up there.”

Trump noted the danger: “There’s a danger up there, too. They can have some failures up there that would be very bad. You’ve got to get them out.”

Musk and Starship Authorized

Trump provided specifics about the rescue operation. “I’ve authorized Elon a week ago. I said, ‘You know, we have two people up there that Biden and Kamala left up there,’” Trump recounted. “And he knows it very well. I said, ‘Are you equipped to get them?’ He said, ‘Yeah, he’s got a Starship.’ And they’re preparing it right now.”

The use of SpaceX’s Starship — the largest and most powerful rocket ever built — to retrieve two stranded astronauts was an extraordinary application of private-sector capability to solve a government failure. Boeing’s Starliner had failed; Musk’s Starship would succeed. The contrast between the legacy aerospace contractor and the disruptive innovator mirrored the broader DOGE dynamic of the administration.

“So Elon is going to go up and get them,” Trump confirmed.

”Should I Go?”

In a moment that perfectly captured Trump’s mix of showmanship and genuine enthusiasm, he floated the idea of joining the rescue mission.

“Should I go on that journey, just to be on the ship when we stop?” Trump asked the room.

A reporter responded: “That’s an option.”

Trump turned to another reporter: “I thought he liked me. Maria, should I do it?”

The exchange drew laughter, with one reporter suggesting Trump should “come back from space” — to which Trump responded more practically: “When they come back, I’ll greet them. How about that?”

The presidential-space-mission riff was vintage Trump entertainment, but it also conveyed a genuine fascination with the Starship technology and a willingness to associate himself personally with the rescue. No previous president had publicly volunteered to ride a rocket, and while the suggestion was clearly lighthearted, it projected the kind of adventurous confidence that resonated with the administration’s “nothing is impossible” messaging.

TikTok: “Probably” an Extension

A reporter asked whether Trump would extend the TikTok deal deadline if negotiations were not completed on time.

“Probably, yeah,” Trump said. “I think, look, we have a lot of interest in TikTok. And China is going to play a role. So hopefully China will approve of the deal.”

He assessed the timeline: “Right now, we have at least another month, so we don’t need an extension. But if I need an extension, I’d probably get it extended.”

The “probably” was significant because it indicated the administration was more focused on getting the right deal than on enforcing an arbitrary deadline. The TikTok divestiture had been complicated by questions about the algorithm, Chinese export control laws, and the valuation of the platform. Trump’s willingness to extend suggested that serious negotiations were underway and that he did not want to force a ban that would affect 170 million American users if a deal was close to completion.

The mention of China “playing a role” and needing to “approve the deal” acknowledged the geopolitical reality that any TikTok transaction required Beijing’s consent. Chinese export control laws potentially prevented ByteDance from selling the recommendation algorithm that made TikTok valuable, and the Chinese government had signaled it would need to approve any sale.

Wallace and Maddow: “Forced to Resign”

Trump addressed comments that MSNBC hosts Nicole Wallace and Rachel Maddow had made about DJ Daniel, the 13-year-old brain cancer survivor who had been made an honorary Secret Service agent during the joint address.

“What Nicole Wallace said — I’ve never been a fan of hers, and she’s not very talented — but what she said the other day about that young man is disgraceful,” Trump said. “She should be forced to resign.”

He extended the demand: “And Rachel Maddow should be forced to resign. Nobody watches her anyway.”

Trump’s anger was personal. DJ Daniel was a 13-year-old cancer survivor whose moment in the spotlight had been designed to be uplifting and nonpartisan. Any commentary that diminished or mocked that moment crossed a line that Trump found unconscionable.

“What they said the other day — they should be forced to resign, about that young person who was suffering,” Trump said.

He connected it to the broader assessment of the joint address: “I thought it was very embarrassing for the Democrats what happened the other night. And that’s not said for any other reason other than it’s obvious. It’s fact. Even CNN Fake News said that. They came out and they said it.”

The CNN reference — that even a network the administration considered hostile had acknowledged the Democrats’ poor showing — reinforced the bipartisan nature of the criticism. When CNN agreed that Democrats had embarrassed themselves, the assessment was no longer partisan spin; it was consensus.

Key Takeaways

• Trump told stranded astronauts “we love you and we’re coming up to get you,” blaming Biden for leaving them in space and saying he had “authorized Elon” to retrieve them using Starship.
• He joked about joining the rescue mission: “Should I go on that journey, just to be on the ship?” before settling on greeting the astronauts when they return.
• Trump said he would “probably” extend the TikTok deal deadline if needed, noting “China is going to play a role” in approving any transaction.
• He demanded MSNBC hosts Nicole Wallace and Rachel Maddow “be forced to resign” for their comments about 13-year-old cancer survivor DJ Daniel.
• Trump said Democrats’ joint address behavior was “very embarrassing” and that “even CNN Fake News said that.”