--- title: "Trump Has Call With Moon Astronauts So Awkward That They May Turn Around and Disappear Into the Void of Space" description: "President Trump's call to NASA's Artemis II astronauts to celebrate their historic trip behind the Moon took an awkward detour." date: "2026-04-07" modified: "2026-04-07" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/space/trump-call-moon-astronauts-awkward" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" --- # Trump Has Call With Moon Astronauts So Awkward That They May Turn Around and Disappear Into the Void of Space ![NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen float inside NASA's Moon spacecraft.]() *NASA* On Monday, four astronauts on the [Artemis II mission]() slipped behind the Moon — and, in doing so, [traveled farther from Earth ]()than any prior human being in history. They also, unfortunately, experienced one of the most skin-crawlingly awkward interactions in the entire solar system. During their trip behind the Moon, which brought them 248,655 miles from Earth, the Integrity spacecraft lost contact with ground control in an expected communication blackout that lasted roughly 40 minutes. When they reemerged, the crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen — reestablished contact to celebrate. Those festivities took an awkward turn, though, when president Trump [hopped on the call](). "You've made history and made all America really proud," Trump began. It was a fine start. But after he lavished praise on Hansen, perhaps to [help smooth over strained Canadian-US relations](), the astronauts seemed to have nothing to say in response. "I spoke to your prime minister and many other friends I have in Canada. They are so proud of you," Trump said. But Hansen didn't respond verbally — and neither did any of his compatriots. And the silence dragged. https://twitter.com/HQNewsNow/status/2041349065896583668 For over a minute, the four crew members kept smiling at the camera, like they were posing for a group photo being taken by someone who accidentally hit record. Hansen gave a thumbs up. Smiles stretched into upturned grimaces. Glover's gaze fell to the ground, defying microgravity. The microphone, floating in front of them, spun listlessly. Each of the astronauts took turns fiddling with it, still saying nothing. Trump made no attempt to break the silence. It was finally dispelled when Wiseman exhibited the leadership he was made mission commander for and grabbed the mic. "Administrator Isaacman, just getting a quick comm check to make sure you guys are still on the line and we didn't have a handover," he said, addressing NASA head Jared Isaacman. Trump's booming voice confirmed that he'd been on the line all along. "I am, yes. I am," he said, with a noticeable echo, followed by a chorus of laughter from the control room. Trump then blamed the extended silence on a technical glitch. "Yeah I think we may have gotten cut, it is a long distance, it's a long ways, the reception's been great. There's a little bit of about a nine second delay," he said, before waxing lyrical about Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. **More on space:** [*Lone Jar of Nutella Drifts Around Cabin of Moon Spacecraft*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()