President Donald Trump asked billionaire Elon Musk to “go get” two astronauts that have been aboard the International Space Station since June 2024, claiming the Biden administration had “virtually abandoned” them even though NASA has said for months it plans to bring them home soon.

"NASA and SpaceX are expeditiously working to safely return the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore as soon as practical, while also preparing for the launch of Crew-10 to complete a handover between expeditions," Cheryl Warner, NASA's news chief at the agency's headquarters, said in a statement to reporters.

Despite the statement from President Trump, NASA had already scheduled the astronauts' return for late March or April.