President Donald Trump, speaking on April 29, 2026, during a White House meeting with the Artemis crew, commented on the physical and intellectual demands of becoming an astronaut while addressing the successful space mission involving four crew members. His remarks came as he praised the astronauts’ achievement and discussed the broader future of U.S. space exploration.
During the discussion, Trump highlighted the difficulty of spaceflight and the qualifications required to participate in such missions, saying, “We’re very proud of these people. They have unbelievable courage. To get in there, you have to be very smart. You have to do a lot of things physically good.” He then added, “I would’ve had no trouble making it. And physically very, very good. Maybe a little bit of a problem. I don’t know. We’ll have to try it sometime. Is a president allowed to go up in one of these missions?”
Jared Isaacman, participating in the meeting, responded positively to the idea of future presidential involvement in space missions, saying, “We can get working on that, Mr. President. We have no problem. We’re going to launch more rockets. We’ll have to try it.”
Trump’s comments centered on the accomplishments of the Artemis crew, while also shifting into a broader reflection on the requirements for astronaut training and selection. He emphasized both intelligence and physical conditioning as key factors, framing the profession as highly selective and demanding.
The exchange also touched on potential future missions and continued expansion of U.S. space activity, with NASA leadership indicating ongoing plans for additional launches and lunar exploration programs.