NASA’s stranded astronauts, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, have spent nine uncertain months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), maintaining composure amid delays—until a recent interview revealed their frustration with the Biden administration’s political games.
In a Tuesday press conference, Wilmore appeared to confirm SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s explosive claim that President Joe Biden rejected an offer to bring the astronauts home early, fearing it would boost Donald Trump’s image.
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“I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual,” Wilmore stated, emphasizing he and Williams weren’t briefed on the behind-the-scenes decisions. “So I believe him. 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,” he added.
Musk, tasked with retrieving the astronauts via SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission later this month, has repeatedly accused the Biden administration of abandoning them for “political reasons.”
He doubled down on Joe Rogan’s podcast last Friday, alleging Biden pushed their return past Trump’s inauguration to avoid making Trump and his supporters “look good,” especially after Musk donated at least $288 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign.
“The Biden administration did not want to jeopardize Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign,” Musk told Rogan, noting a simultaneous Department of Justice lawsuit against SpaceX as evidence of hostility. “I’m like, bro, the Department of Justice had a massive lawsuit against SpaceX for not hiring asylum seekers, even though it is illegal for us to hire anyone who is not a permanent resident.”
The astronauts’ ordeal began June 6 when they arrived at the ISS aboard Boeing’s troubled Starliner for an intended eight-day mission. Technical failures plagued the spacecraft, forcing NASA to deem it too risky for their return.
Starliner was sent back uncrewed in September, a decision then-NASA administrator Bill Nelson insisted was apolitical: “I can tell you unequivocally, from a personal standpoint, that politics has not played any part in this decision. It absolutely has nothing to do with it.” Yet Musk’s claims—and Wilmore’s endorsement—suggest otherwise.
Since then, Williams and Wilmore have awaited SpaceX’s Crew-9 flight, now set for March 19 or 20—a date shifted multiple times, fueling Musk’s political firestorm. Trump, who told Musk to “go get” the astronauts ASAP, has echoed the accusations, saying in January that Biden “virtually abandoned them.” The earlier return date followed Trump’s urging.
In the briefing, Wilmore praised both Trump and Musk: “All of us have the utmost respect for Mr. Musk, and obviously respect and admiration for our President of the United States, Donald Trump.” He added, “We appreciate them, we appreciate all they do for us, for human spaceflight, for our nation. We’re thankful that they’re in the positions they’re in.”
Addressing the political undertones, he said, “The words they’ve said—politics—I mean, that’s part of life. We understand that… We are on board with it, we support our nation, we support our nation’s leaders and we’re thankful for them.”
“Obviously we’ve heard some of these different things that are being said,” Wilmore acknowledged, hinting at their awareness of the controversy. Yet he tempered his critique: “We know what we’ve lived up here… And I’m sure they have some issues that they’re dealing with, information that they have that we are not privy to.”
Still, the astronauts’ words signal a clear frustration with Biden’s alleged sabotage—a move they suggest left them stranded to deny Trump a win.