// SCIENCE
President Trump Calls Into NASA News Conference After Roman Space Telescope Launch
President Trump made an unexpected call into a NASA news conference following the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
- President Trump called into a NASA news conference on Sunday morning.
- The call followed the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
- Trump congratulated NASA officials and praised their work.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman facilitated the call using his mobile phone.
President Donald Trump made an unscheduled call into a NASA news conference on Sunday morning, speaking to reporters and officials via phone following the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The call occurred during a post-launch briefing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where NASA was providing updates on the telescope's initial maneuvers.
The event unfolded less than half an hour into the conference. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman looked at his mobile phone, then left the dais where he was seated with other NASA officials. He returned about a minute later, still holding his phone, and apologized for interrupting NASA's chief of science, Nicky Fox, who was speaking at the time.
Isaacman announced that the President of the United States wished to address and congratulate everyone involved with the mission. Trump then spoke through Isaacman's phone, offering his congratulations. He remarked that the Roman space telescope launch looked beautiful on television. The President also commended Isaacman and the team for their work, noting his role in providing funding.
Presidential calls into NASA news conferences are not standard procedure. Historically, presidents have not typically focused extensively on civil space programs. While the military importance of space is growing, civil space has generally ranked lower on presidential priority lists. Presidents have been known to call astronauts orbiting the Moon, but not usually into post-launch news briefings.
This call follows a period of increased engagement by President Trump with NASA activities. Days earlier, on Friday, he spent several hours at Johnson Space Center in Houston. During that visit, he awarded the crew of Artemis II the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. He also announced plans for a United States Space Academy. Over the weekend, the President reportedly became captivated by the upcoming launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is set to be NASA's next significant space-based observatory.