Butch Wilmore says he ‘believes’ Elon Musk after billionaire made shocking claim about ‘abandoned’ astronauts
There has seemingly been another twist near the end of the tale of the stranded astronauts, as Butch Wilmore has claimed that he 'believes' Elon Musk's claims that they were 'abandoned' by the Biden administration, adding that Musk is 'absolutely factual'.
Williams and Wilmore have been 'stranded' upon the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024, after what was supposed to be just an eight-day mission has now stretched over eight months and continues on.
At the heart of their delayed stay are issues with multiple spacecraft, as not only did their Boeing Starliner have faults but the SpaceX Crew-10 Dragon spacecraft that was scheduled to allow them to come back home has also experienced technical difficulties.
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NASA protocol indicates that there must be a handover process for astronauts leaving the ISS, and subsequently the pair haven't been able to return home because a new crew hasn't yet been able to reach the station.
There have been multiple health concerns surrounding the stranded astronauts, as their 'gaunt' appearance worried many online and they themselves have expressed fears about their bodies upon returning to Earth.
However, shortly after he officially returned to presidency Donald Trump ordered SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to 'go get' Williams and Wilmore, indicating that they had been 'abandoned' by the previous Biden administration.
Musk himself has repeatedly reaffirmed these claims, indicating in a recent post on X that "the real issue is that [the Biden administration] did not want positive press for someone who supported Trump. That's it. End of story."
In a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, Musk also insinuated that the Biden administration was "extremely antagonistic" towards him and that their return "was pushed back for political reasons."
While many, due to the information available regarding the technical issues with the spacecraft, disregarded the accusations made by both Musk and President Trump, Butch Wilmore himself has seemingly offered support to their claims.
As reported by Ars Technica, Wilmore was joined by Williams and Nick Hague in a press conference where, upon being asked whether Musk made an offer to bring them home last year, he had this to say:
"I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual," adding that he "believes" Musk.
While that might seem quite cut and dry in offering a clear contradiction to the other previous information, it appears to not be as simple as it might initially seem.
Shortly after this bold statement Wilmore added: "We have no information on that, though, whatsoever; what was offered, what was not offered; who it was offered to, how that process went."
Additionally, earlier on in the press conference he indicated: "From my standpoint, politics is not playing into this at all."
These clashing statements don't quite paint the clear picture that some supporters of Trump and Musk are wanting it to be, and instead it reads as if Wilmore is simply expressing his support for the current administration and has no or little information regarding the decision making process behind the scenes.
He did illustrate that politics are a "part of life" and that they are "on board with it" though, adding later on: "I don't know all those details, and I don't think any of us really can give you the answer that maybe that you would be hoping for."