The second man to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin, has endorsed former President Donald Trump for a second term.
In a lengthy statement on Wednesday, the 94-year-old brigadier general said he was “impressed” by the first Trump Administration’s efforts to elevate “human space exploration” and how it was “made a policy of high importance again.”
Aldrin said Trump “reignited” efforts to get back to the moon and to move on to Mars. The astronaut praised the Trump administration for reinstituting the National Space Council, “so leading voices could advocate for the importance of space to America.”
He went on to claim that the defense of the US was “enhanced” with the creation of the Space Force, saying that it was “increasingly important as space becomes a contested domain.”
Aldrin also shared his excitement at the “great advancements” in private space flight, calling billionaire Elon Musk a “visionary”. Musk has been a prominent part of the Trump campaign and a vocal backer.
“We are facing serious and difficult realities on the global security landscape,” Aldrin added. “Domestically, we face major economic challenges, stability in our communities, and rule of law concerns. For these reasons and others, we need a proven, serious, tested leader for President.”
Aldrin indicated that he believes that Trump has the “understanding of human nature, clarity in judgment, decisiveness, knowledge, understanding, and calm under pressures,” required to lead the country.
“The job requires sober analysis of frightening scenarios, and the instinct to lead with resolve,” he said.
“For me, for the future of our Nation, to meet enormous challenges, and for the proven policy accomplishments above, I believe the nation is best served by voting for Donald J. Trump. I wholeheartedly endorse him for President of the United States. Godspeed President Trump, and God Bless the United States of America,” he concluded.
Born in 1930, Aldrin is the last surviving crew member of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon following the deaths of Michael Collins in 2021 and Neil Armstrong in 2012.
He made three spacewalks piloting the Gemini 12 mission in 1966, three years before the moon landing.
In 2019, Aldrin called on Trump to rename the Space Force to something less antagonistic.
The new branch of the armed forces was announced in June 2018, responsible for military operations in space.
“I have thought for some while that a better name would be ‘Space Guard,’ because it is more deterrent,” Aldrin told the Daily Mail at the time.
“It is not strike,” he added. “We have a strike force that is aggressive. ‘Space Guard’ is more defensive and I think that is pretty much what people had in mind with the space force.”
But Aldrin said he believed the creation of the military branch was “one giant leap in the right direction,” in reference to the first words Armstrong said when he stepped onto the moon.