Viral dead air: Artemis II astronauts give Trump the silent treatment
Silence is golden: Embarrassing moment as Artemis II astronauts give Trump the silent treatment
A clip of the Artemis II crew’s silence to Donald Trump's praise and ranting has gone viral.
In space, no one can hear you cringe.
Following the historic space mission to the far side of the moon, the crew of Artemis II got a call from none other than Donald Trump.
He congratulated the astronauts on their lunar flyby before going off on a tangent, ranting to Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen about how he’d spoken to former Canadian ice hockey player and MAGA supporter Wayne Gretzky (which Trump refers to as “the Great One”), as well as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“Well, I have to say I spoke to a very special person, Wayne Gretzky, who I think you know, the Great One,” said Trump. “And I spoke to your prime minister and many other friends I have in Canada. They are so proud of you.”
“You have a lot of courage,” he continued. “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...”
This comment was met with an awkward silence, which lasted for an excruciatingly long time. No one said anything for more than a minute after Trump stopped speaking, before a com check was asked for, “to make sure you guys are still on the line and we didn’t have a handover.”
The coms were working fine, and judging by arguably the most hilarious part of this embarrassing moment, there was no delay. Indeed, there was an immediate response from Trump, who was waiting for a reaction from the astronauts.
“I am, yes, I am,” replied Trump.
Check out the clip below
Silence is golden. And speaks volumes, according to the internet.
The clip of the Artemis II crew’s silence has gone viral, with many joking about how even at more than 250,00 miles from Earth you can’t escape a Trump rant. Others praised the crew for not appeasing Trump.
“As if we couldn't love them anymore, they give the perfect response,” wrote one user on X, while another argued: “This is what integrity looks like. How refreshing to see people not laugh it up for the most moronic leader of all time. Thank you.”
MY HUSBAND LEFT ME AND MY DISABLED BROTHER TO DROWN. THEN MY BROTHER STOOD UP.
THE LAST THING MY HUSBAND SAID BEFORE ABANDONING US
“The more you fight that door, Valerie, the faster you’ll drown.”
Julian said it almost casually.
Then he climbed through the driver’s window and disappeared into the freezing river.
I froze.
Water rushed into the SUV.
My brother Mason was trapped in the back seat.
“Julian!”
I slammed against the passenger door.
“Come back! Mason is still inside!”
He never looked back.
Minutes earlier, we had been driving toward Sterling Shipyard when Julian suddenly jerked the wheel.
The SUV smashed through the guardrail and plunged into the river.
It wasn’t an accident.
I reached for my seat belt.
It wouldn’t release.
I felt underneath the seat.
Wire.
Someone had deliberately locked the mechanism.
My blood ran cold.
Then I saw Julian on the riverbank.
And he wasn’t alone.
Chloe.
My half-sister.
She stood beneath a black umbrella, one hand resting on her pregnant stomach.
Julian walked straight into her arms.
They looked at the sinking SUV.
At us.
Then Julian smiled.
Three years of marriage shattered in one second.
The secret phone calls.
The endless business trips.
The lies.
Chloe appearing at every family gathering.
They had been together all along.
And now they had left us to die.
“Mason…”
My voice broke.
“I’m sorry. I brought him into our family.”
The water reached my chest.
Then something hit the back of my seat.
Once.
Twice.
I turned.
And stopped breathing.
Mason was standing.
Standing on both legs.
The legs I had believed were useless for fifteen years.
He reached inside his coat and pulled out a compact rescue cutter.
“Not now, Val.”
He sliced through the wire holding my seat belt.
“What happened to your legs?”
“Later.”
He pulled me free.
The SUV was almost completely submerged.
Mason forced open the rear door and dragged me into the freezing water.
I swam toward the surface.
He grabbed my arm.
“Not there.”
He pointed toward the riverbank.
Julian and Chloe were still watching.
Mason pulled me beneath an abandoned pier.
We surfaced in the darkness between two concrete supports.
I gasped for air.
Mason pressed a finger to his lips.
“Julian can’t know we survived.”
I stared at him.
“You’re walking.”
“I know.”
“For fifteen years…”
“I know.”
“You let me believe you were crippled.”
His face hardened.
Then I saw the pain in his eyes.
“Valerie…”
He looked toward the distant riverbank.
“Mom and Dad’s crash wasn’t an accident.”
My entire body went cold.
“What did you just say?”
Mason tightened his grip on my arm.
“Julian didn’t just try to kill us tonight.”
He leaned closer.
“He finished what he started fifteen years ago.”
I stared at him.
“Come with me.”
And for the first time that night, I realized the sinking SUV was only the beginning.
