WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is hoping the first launch of American astronauts from U. S. soil in nearly a decade will give the nation’s spirit a…
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump is hoping the first launch of American astronauts from U. S. soil in nearly a decade will give the nation’s spirit a boost after months of battling the coronavirus.
Amid uncertainty about whether the weather would allow for liftoff, Trump arrived on the Florida coast Wednesday under drizzly skies to mark the return of NASA astronaut launches from the U. S. — and the first attempt by a private company. Thunderstorms threatened a delay.
Trump toured part of the Kennedy Space Center soon after his arrival and offered well wishes to the astronauts — who were already on the rocket ship by the time he arrived.
“Good luck and God be with you,” Trump said. “It’s a dangerous business, but they’re the best there is.”
It’s the latest visit to an important 2020 battleground state as the president emerges from his White House bubble and expands his travel itinerary. Earlier this month, Trump visited Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan, all states he narrowly won in 2016.
Trump used those trips to highlight the manufacturing of ventilators and personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, but also to mock Joe Biden, his Democratic rival for the presidency, and the Obama administration.
The Florida trip could give Trump a chance to celebrate a moment of American achievement and, at least momentarily, deflect attention from the pandemic that’s exacted an enormous toll on the nation’s health and economy.
