--- title: "Trump calls International Space Station from Houston" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-international-space-station-from-houston" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-calls-international-space-station-from-houston" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-international-space-station-from-houston.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/trump-calls-international-space-station-from-houston" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-30T00:45:59.346Z" source_reported: "2026-08-30T00:24:00.000Z" updated: "2026-08-30T00:45:59.346Z" trust_score: 68 critic_score: 69 hype_score: 45 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-30T01:45:12.442782+00:00" --- # Trump calls International Space Station from Houston *President spoke with astronauts and signed an executive order establishing the U.S. Space Force Academy.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 68 of 100, higher is better. Named person Aaron Rupar and multiple independent outlets, no documents; trust 68. - Craft 69 of 100, higher is better. Quotes Trump, gives date and place, but lacks broader context; critic 69. - Hype 45 of 100, lower is better. Headline is clickbaity, body straightforward; hype 45. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - President Donald Trump called the International Space Station from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Friday, September 28. - Trump praised the astronauts as "great Americans" and "great patriots" and invited them to the Oval Office. - During his visit, Trump signed an executive order establishing the U.S. Space Force Academy. - The manner in which Trump held the phone during the call attracted online mockery. President Donald Trump spoke with astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, September 28, during a visit to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. He called the crew from Mission Control, praising them as "great Americans" and "great patriots." Trump also offered the astronauts an invitation to the Oval Office upon their return to Earth. While in Houston, Trump signed an executive order to establish the U.S. Space Force Academy. He stated it would be at the same level as other service academies like West Point and the Air Force Academy. The way Trump held the phone away from his ear during the call drew attention and online commentary. Some social media accounts posted clips of the moment, with one suggesting it was the first time Trump had held a phone. ## Disagreement on the first call Republic World reported that Trump's call was the first to the station by a sitting president. However, this detail was not mentioned in the other reports. ## Omissions in coverage None of the right-rated digests mention the online mockery directed at President Trump for the way he held the phone. The left-rated report from indy100 was the only one to detail this aspect of the event. ## Who covered it Shares of the 9 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 11% (1) - Centre: 33% (3) - Right: 56% (5) 5 of 14 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-30T01:45:12.442782+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-30T02:30:18.460Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated report from indy100 focused on the online mockery directed at President Trump for the way he held the phone during his call to the ISS. The report included social media reactions and noted the muted response from NASA scientists in attendance. It also mentioned Trump signing the executive order for the Space Force Academy. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports from CBS News, The Southwest Iowa News Source, and The Economic Times highlighted President Trump's call to the ISS astronauts and his praise for them. They also mentioned his invitation to the Oval Office and the signing of the executive order for the U.S. Space Force Academy. The Economic Times digest also noted Trump called the astronauts "great Americans" and "great patriots" and joked with the crew. ### Right - The right-rated reports from Republic World, Times of India, news-pravda.com, and Fox News focused on President Trump's call to the International Space Station astronauts. They reported his praise for the astronauts, calling them "great Americans" and "great patriots," and his offer of "Oval Office time." Republic World stated it was the first call to the station by a sitting president. Fox News also mentioned the Oval Office invitation. The Times of India digest described the call as "emotional." **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - low: 2 - mixed: 3 - high: 1 - unknown: 6 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [CBS News](https://cbsnews.com/video/trump-calls-international-space-station-during-visit-to-nasa-johnson-space-center) — Trump calls International Space Station during visit to NASA Mission Control Center - [The Southwest Iowa News Source](https://swiowanewssource.com/video_298b7a82-46f1-56a0-b248-a3e1ac5c4219.html) — Trump calls the International Space Station during visit to NASA Mission Control - [indy100- Independent](https://indy100.com/politics/trump/donald-trump-iss-astronauts-phone) — Trump makes call to ISS astronauts – and people think he’s never held a phone before - [U-S-NEWS.COM](https://u-s-news.com/white-house-video-president-trump-calls-the-international-space-station) — WHITE HOUSE VIDEO: President Trump Calls the International Space Station - [Báo điện tử Dân Trí](https://dantri.com.vn/dt360/tong-thong-trump-noi-gi-khi-lan-dau-goi-dien-toi-tram-vu-tru-quoc-te-20260829112920202.htm) — Dan Tri 360: What Did President Trump Say when He First Called the International Space Station? - [Amar Ujala](https://amarujala.com/world/donald-trump-praises-indian-origin-nasa-astronaut-anil-menon-invites-oval-office-2026-08-29) — 'This Great American and Brave Patriot', Trump Praises Indian-Origin Astronaut Anil, What Else Did He Say? - [Mangalorean.com](https://mangalorean.com/trump-hails-indian-origin-astronaut-anil-menon) — Trump hails Indian-origin astronaut Anil Menon - [Republic World](https://republicworld.com/science/trump-calls-international-space-station-during-visit-to-nasa-mission-control-2026-08-29-135792) — Trump Calls International Space Station During Visit to NASA Mission Control - [Social News XYZ](https://socialnews.xyz/?p=7665809) — Trump calls the International Space Station during visit to NASA Mission Control - [Times of India](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/to-be-with-you-is-a-great-honour-trump-hails-intl-space-station-astronauts-in-emotional-call/videoshow/133599768.cms) — ‘To be with you is a great honour’: Trump hails Intl Space Station Astronauts in emotional call - [The Economic Times](https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/world-news/to-be-with-you-is-a-great-honour-trump-hails-intl-space-station-astronauts-in-emotional-call/videoshow/133599768.cms) — ‘To be with you is a great honour’: Trump hails Intl Space Station Astronauts in emotional call - [news-pravda.com](https://news-pravda.com/world/2026/08/28/2549085.html) — NOW: President Trump just CALLED IN to the International Space Station - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/trump-calls-iss-crew-from-houston-praise-space-pioneers-offer-oval-office-time) — Trump calls ISS crew from Houston to praise space pioneers and offer 'Oval Office time' - [dnews.gr](https://dnews.gr/eidhseis/kosmos/607018/o-tramp-tilefonise-ston-diethni-diastimiko-stathmo-vinteo) — Trump Made a Phone Call to the International Space Station ## Questions **When did Donald Trump call the International Space Station?** President Donald Trump called the International Space Station on Friday, September 28, from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The call took place during his visit to the space center. **What did Donald Trump say to the astronauts?** Trump praised the astronauts as "great Americans" and "great patriots." He also offered them an invitation to the Oval Office upon their return to Earth and congratulated them on their work. **What executive order did Donald Trump sign?** During his visit to Houston, President Trump signed an executive order establishing the U.S. Space Force Academy. He stated that the academy would be on par with other established military service academies. **What aspect of the call drew online commentary?** The way President Trump held the phone during his call to the International Space Station attracted online mockery. He held the phone away from his ear, suspended in the air, which was noted and shared on social media. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-international-space-station-from-houston. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Trump calls International Space Station from Houston", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-international-space-station-from-houston