President Trump Calls The Artemis II Crew, Discusses Dreams Of Mars, Canadian Pride, And Making History

President Donald Trump spoke by satellite with the 4-person crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission on April 7, 2026, becoming the first president to hold a live conversation with astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit in more than 50 years.

The crew, Commander Reed Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, had just completed a flyby of the Moon’s far side, breaking the distance record set by Apollo 13 and reaching nearly 253,000 miles from Earth. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman hosted the call from the ground.

Trump on What the Mission Means for America

The president opened by placing the achievement in a broader national context, citing America’s return to the lunar vicinity for the first time since the Apollo program ended more than 50 years ago.

Today you’ve made history and made all of America really proud, incredibly proud. We have a lot of things to be proud of lately, but this is, there’s nothing like what you’re doing, circling around the moon for the first time in more than a half a century and breaking the all-time record for the farthest distance from planet Earth. Humans have really never seen anything quite like what you’re doing in a manned spacecraft. No astronaut has been to the moon since the days of the Apollo program. The Apollo program was also very special, but that was 50 years ago, and at long last America is back, and America is back in many ways stronger than ever before.

Commander Wiseman on Seeing the Far Side

When Trump asked what the most unforgettable part of the day had been, Wiseman described the moment the crew crossed into territory no human crew had ever seen.

As we came around the near side of the moon, seeing all the sights that we’ve seen from Earth for all of our lives, but we’re seeing them from a different perspective, and then we started to get a glimpse of the far side. We saw sights, oriental sights that no human has ever seen before, not even in Apollo, and that was amazing for us. And then the surprise of the day, we just came out of an eclipse where the sun sets behind the moon, and the entire dark moon was about that big right out the window. We could see the corona of the sun and then we could see the planet train line up, and we saw Mars, and all of us commented how excited we are to watch this nation and this planet become a two-planet species.

Victor Glover on the Communication Blackout

Trump pressed the crew on what it felt like to lose all contact with Earth while passing behind the Moon. Glover gave the most direct answer.

Jeremy Hansen on the Geological Differences Between Near and Far Sides

Trump asked whether the crew could see a difference between the two hemispheres of the Moon. Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, the Canadian astronaut on the crew, gave a detailed answer before turning to thank the president directly.

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. While you see some small patches of those mari in deep craters, it’s very much absent on that side, so that’s really neat. 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 is truly extraordinary. A nation that leads like that and then creates and sets big goals for humanity that brings other countries along with it is truly incredible. I know that’s a very intentional decision, to lead by example and to allow other countries like Canada to share their gifts and help achieve these mutually beneficial goals, like establishing a presence on the moon and eventually going to Mars. Canadians are so proud to be a part of this program.

Christina Koch on Seeing Earth Again

Koch described the moment the crew came back around from the far side and reestablished contact with home.

One of the biggest highlights was coming back from the far side of the moon and having the first glimpses of planet Earth again after being out of communication for about 45 minutes. It really just reminds you what a special place we have and how important it is for our nation to lead and not follow in exploring deep space.

Trump on Wayne Gretzky and Canadian Pride

After Hansen’s remarks, Trump shared that he’d already been in touch with prominent Canadians about the mission, name-checking the hockey legend before addressing Hansen directly.

I have to say I spoke to a very special person, Wayne Gretzky, who I think you know, the great one, and I spoke to your Prime Mnister and many other friends I have in Canada. They are so proud of you, and you have a lot of courage. 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 genius, but they’re very, very proud of you.

Later, after a brief communication handover interrupted the call, Trump circled back to make sure the message had landed.

I was just saying they’re very proud of your brilliant person from Canada on the ship, and Wayne Gretzky is a great friend of mine, and he’s very proud of them, and the Prime Minister I spoke to, they’re very, very honored that you have a courageous person from Canada. You have a lot of courageous people from Canada, so it was very nice.

Wiseman confirmed the crew had heard it the first time.

Yes, Mr. President, we heard that, and we do love our Jeremy Hansen. We love all our Canadian astronauts. They’re just great people and they’re such a welcome addition to our corps.

Trump Invites the Crew to the Oval Office

The call closed with the president extending an invitation to Washington.

I really look forward to seeing you in the Oval Office. I’ll ask Jared to bring you over and I’ll ask for your autograph because I don’t really ask for autographs much, but you deserve that. You really are something. Everybody’s talking about this, and I look forward to having you in the Oval Office at the White House, and we will celebrate your incredible achievements and triumphs. This is big. This is really big stuff. The whole world is talking about it, and if you have the time, I will certainly find the time. I’ve been pretty busy also, as you know, but I will absolutely find the time, and I’m going to be giving you a big salute on behalf of the American people and beyond that.

Wiseman accepted on behalf of the crew.

Thank you for that, Mr. President. When you want us, we will be there. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you to Jared for his leadership. A whole team of people all around the world pulled this off. We just want to say thank you to all of you for this. It is the thrill and honor of a lifetime to have been on this journey.