Elon Musk caused a stir on Thursday after an astronaut called him out for making a false claim about President Joe Biden deliberately leaving astronauts stranded in space.
During an interview on Fox News with Sean Hannity, Musk claimed that Biden had intentionally kept two astronauts in space for almost a year due to “political reasons.”
European Space Agency commander Andreas Mogensen took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out Musk for spreading misinformation. “What a lie,” Mogensen wrote. “And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media.”
Musk responded harshly, writing, “You are fully retarded. SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago. I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration and they refused. Return WAS pushed back for political reasons. Idiot.”
Mogensen, remaining composed, replied, “Elon, I have long admired you and what you have accomplished, especially at SpaceX and Tesla. You know as well as I do, that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September. Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home. They are returning on the Dragon capsule that has been on ISS since last September.”
The exchange quickly drew attention, with many questioning Musk’s statements and raising concerns about the accuracy of his claims.
Check the exchange in the thread below:
Hannity: You’re going to help rescue two astronauts
Musk: They were left up there for political reasons pic.twitter.com/jc07ooW018
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 19, 2025
What a lie.
And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media. https://t.co/DxofPYolon
— Andreas Mogensen (@Astro_Andreas) February 20, 2025
You are fully retarded.
SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago.
I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration and they refused.
Return WAS pushed back for political reasons.
Idiot.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2025
