Trump suggests he’ll pay overtime for formerly stranded astronauts ‘out of my own pocket’

President Donald Trump on Friday said he would pay the overtime for astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, who returned to Earth this week after spending nine months in space on what was supposed to be an eight-day mission.

Trump was asked about the calculated overtime while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office. 

“Nobody’s ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket,” Trump said in response to Fox News’ Peter Doocy’s question. “Is that all? That’s not alot for what they had to go through.” 

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Doocy noted that Wilmore and Williams each received $5 per diem for each day in space, amounting to $1,430 in extra pay. 

Williams and Wilmore arrived at the International Space Station in June for what they believed was an eight-day mission. A rescue crew brought them back this week on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, some 286 days after they departed Earth. 

While speaking with reporters, Trump thanked Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, SpaceX and the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

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“Think if we don’t have him?” Trump said. “If we don’t have Elon. They could be up there a long time. Who is else is going to get them?”

He noted that the “body starts to deteriorate” after a few months orbiting in space.