While calling for a supposedly stronger American lunar program, Donald Trump signed the Space Policy Directive 1 on Monday and said that he wanted NASA to send Americans to the moon. Shortly after the statement spread online, Twitter users responded to Trump's NASA moon plan, and it looks like the majority sentiment is in favor of telling Trump to go to the moon — and stay there.
While signing the Space Policy Directive 1, the president said, "It marks an important step in returning American astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 for long-term exploration and use." He added, "This time we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint. We will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars and, perhaps, someday, to many worlds beyond."
Without elaborating, Trump also pointed to a national security element behind his plan. "Space has so much to do with so many other applications, including a military application," he said. Some people noticed his motives behind the idea. Laura Seward Forczyk, founder of space analytics platform Astralytical, tweeted, "Unlike previous administrations' humans-to-the-Moon-on-the-way-to-Mars NASA #spacepolicy directives, the #SpacePolicyDirective1 speeches Trump and Pence are giving are focused on national security leadership, not civil or scientific."
For other people, the military comment wasn't as noteworthy as was the idea to just send the American president to the moon on a permanent basis.
Another person tweeted a desperate plea to NASA on behalf of the country.
For others, Trump's signing of the space initiative seemed to be more of an opportunity to personally move to the moon, which doesn't sound too bad.
But as mentioned before, most Twitter users just wanted to be done with Trump by sending him far, far away.
Other users polled public opinion through their personal Twitter accounts. For example, one woman asked her followers to retweet if they agreed with the idea of sending The Donald to the moon. And from the looks of it, her tweet has garnered some agreement.
Some Twitter users asked for a one-way ticket for Trump to the moon while lauding the NASA lunar program.
For other Twitter users, personally heading toward the moon seemed much more a comforting prospect than living on the same planet with Trump.
And some simply used GIFs to get their point across.
For what it's worth, it's been over four decades years since the Apollo 17 lunar mission took place. For many Americans, the idea of having their own nation's presence on the spectacular celestial body after such a long time is exciting.
But given the current political climate where public approval of the president is reportedly low, it seems like the more uplifting idea for many is seeing Trump on the moon for good.
