Donald Trump spoke with the Artemis II crew following their history-making journey into space and orbiting around the Moon, congratulating them on their successful and record-setting loop of the lunar far side, Fox News reports.
During the conversation, President Donald Trump reflected on the mission’s significance, telling the crew, “People haven’t been there in a long time, but it’s gonna be more and more prevalent because we’re gonna be doing a lot of traveling.” He continued by looking ahead to future exploration, adding, “And then you’re gonna ultimately do the whole big trip to Mars, and that’s gonna be very exciting.”
🚨🇺🇸 BREAKING: Trump called the Artemis II crew live from the White House:
“You’ve made history and made all of America proud.”
Source: @NASA @rookisaacman https://t.co/ANQvMzJ3Yi pic.twitter.com/p49ToWKqOq
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 7, 2026
Trump also congratulated the astronauts on their accomplishment, calling them “modern day pioneers.” The quartet is currently on day five of their 10-day mission, during which they will orbit the far side of the Moon and then return home. On the call, mission pilot Victor Glover explained one aspect of what has been dubbed one of NASA’s riskiest missions ever: the communication blackout.
When asked by Trump what it felt like to suddenly lose contact, Glover responded candidly, “Yes, Mr. President, it was. I said a little prayer, but then I had to keep rolling.”
“We had a quick prayer,” Glover said. “When the blackout hit, we had to go.” The crew faced a 45-minute communications blackout. “I was actually recording scientific observations of the far side of the moon,” Glover continued. “You know, that is actually the time when we were the farthest and the closest to the moon. And so we were really able to make some of our most detailed observations of the far side of the moon up close. And so we were busy up here working really hard. And I must say it was actually quite nice.”
President Trump had the Artemis II crew CRACKING UP.
He invited them to the Oval Office and said he’ll ask them for THEIR autographs.
TRUMP: “When we can, I look forward to seeing you in the Oval Office.”
“I’ll ask Jared to bring you over and I’ll ask for your autograph,… pic.twitter.com/Q1kXdXqnLM
— Overton (@overton_news) April 7, 2026
President Donald Trump urged the crew to share more details about what they observed during their journey around the moon. “Did you see a difference, a big difference between the far side of the moon and the near side of the moon?” Trump asked. “Was there a difference in feel or difference in look, what did you see?”
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen explained that the absence of light “certainly did” alter their perspective, adding that the Moon’s far side appeared dramatically different from the side visible from Earth, with far fewer of the familiar dark plains.
“The gravitational pull of the Earth has had a profound effect on the near side of the moon, changing all those dark mares, those dark patches of the moon you see from Earth. It’s very different on the far side,” Hansen added. “While you see some small patches of those mare and deep craters, it’s very much absent on that side. So that’s really neat.”
Jeremy Hansen also took the time during the chat with Trump to thank the President on behalf of Canada, a country that has at times had a strained relationship with him. “And while I have the microphone, sir, I just want to thank you on behalf of Canada: The space leadership you spoke of from America truly is extraordinary,” the Artemis II astronaut noted.
“I’ve said this many times before, a nation that leads like that and creates and sets big goals for humanity, that brings other countries along with it, is truly incredible,” Hansen added. “And I know that’s a very intentional, not a necessary decision, intentional decision to lead by example and to allow other countries like Canada to share our gifts and help you achieve these mutually beneficial goals, like establishing a presence on the moon and eventually going to Mars. And Canadians are so proud to be a part of this program.”
Trump replied by throwing out a reference to hockey great Wayne Gretzky and complimenting Hansen’s bravery. “They are so proud of you, and you have a lot of courage,” Trump said. “I’m not sure if they’d want to do that. I’m not even sure if The Great One would want to do that, to be honest with you. But you have a lot of courage doing what you’re doing, a lot of bravery and a lot of of genius. But they’re very, very proud of you.”
Next up was mission specialist Christina Koch, who talked about her awe in seeing Earth again following communication blackout, then touched on the need for future leaders in deep-space missions.
“One of the biggest highlights of coming back from the far side of the moon was those first glimpses of planet Earth again after being out of communication with us here on Earth for about 45 minutes,” Koch said. “It really just reminds you what a special place we have and how important it is for our nation to work, to lead and not follow in exploring deep space.”
Commander Reid Wiseman told Trump the crew witnessed sights never before seen by humans, even compared to past lunar missions. “We saw sights hat no human has ever seen before, not even in Apollo, and that was amazing for us,” Wiseman said. “And then the surprise of the day, we just came out of an eclipse where the sun, moon – the entire dark moon about that big right out the window that we were watching – we could see the corona of the sun, and then we could see the planet train line up, and Mars.
“And all of us commented how excited we are to watch this nation, and this planet become a two-planet species.”
