President Trump cavalierly suggested militarizing space during a speech to U.S. Marines earlier today, but it was the name of his proposed program rather than the substance that got people talking.
Trump entertained the idea of creating a “space force,” sounding for all the world like a young child spitballing the title for a bad B movie. The president said it would be similar to the Air Force, but focus on outer space as a warfighting domain.
“You know I was saying it the other day, because we’re doing a tremendous amount of work in space, I said, ‘Maybe we need a new force, we’ll call it the Space Force.’ And I was not really serious and then I said what a great idea. Maybe we’ll have to do that. That could happen,” Trump mused.
What he failed to mention is that a Congressional subcommittee floated the idea of creating something called the “Space Corps” last year but it was ultimately banned under the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. Most likely, Trump has no idea that he’s not the first person to suggest the idea of a military branch for nonterrestrial conflicts.
The militarization of space is something the United States and the rest of the world will have to grapple with in the coming decade, but it’s a topic that deserves serious, studied consideration, not freewheeling spontaneous outbursts like the one from our president today.
Trump wonders if a "Space Force" could be next for the military https://t.co/8rBl75vPUi pic.twitter.com/fiYubWEtdN
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 13, 2018
Twitter found Trump’s suggestion of a “space force” downright hilarious, and proceeded to mercilessly mock the president for his science fiction-tinged proposal.
Did he really say space force? God he's sooooo incompetent.
— 🇺🇸🦅 Alexander “Stable Genius” Hamilton 🦅🇺🇸 (@AHamiltonSpirit) March 13, 2018
this is my friend, he died fighting with the space force, please retweet to show respect to the troops and honor his memory pic.twitter.com/WKjOfbnVDC
— 💰TRILLIONAIRE💰 (@maltyhops) March 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/jrhennessy/status/973675182249291776
https://twitter.com/ideoautiste/status/973671911090778113
https://twitter.com/TrumpLibrary/status/973681789519659008
https://twitter.com/ColsBols/status/973675184883253248
LEAKED: Official Space Force uniform. pic.twitter.com/bXkXcmEk0O
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) March 13, 2018
Scott Baio has enlisted in the Space Force and it will be the first time in over 30 years that he will work with stars.
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) March 13, 2018
I know we like to joke about America being in a bad episode of Black Mirror but Trump just called for a space force and now I don't know what's real or not anymore. pic.twitter.com/6gqkkFt2bM
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) March 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/ManInTheHoody/status/973673329331642368
https://twitter.com/ManInTheHoody/status/973674014324408320
You can’t join The Space Force if you have bone spurs, can you?
Asking for a friend.
— YS (@NYinLA2121) March 13, 2018
congratulations to future space force captain newt gingrich on his moon base finally becoming a reality https://t.co/hMhCtVeu3V
— Ashley Feinberg (ashleyfeinberg.bsky.social) (@ashleyfeinberg) March 13, 2018
FRIEND: Please don’t get drunk and talk about Space Force again.
ME, already 6 beers in: https://t.co/CXSW6Fnn1n
— Funny Or Die (@funnyordie) March 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/Marmel/status/973687480976207872