Trump Claims That The Moon Is Part Of Mars, Baffling Everyone Everywhere

President Donald Trump shocked the educated world on Friday when he asserted that the Moon is, in fact, a part of Mars. Using his favorite medium of communication, Twitter, the president also lambasted The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for its decision to bring astronauts back to the Moon.

For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon – We did that 50 years ago. They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2019

Trump’s tweet came as a surprise to many, not only for its astronomically confusing astronomical assertions but also for its apparent contradiction of Trump’s own stance on space. Just a month ago, the president expressed support for a new lunar venture, happily proclaiming that the United States was going to “return to Space in a BIG WAY!”

Under my Administration, we are restoring @NASA to greatness and we are going back to the Moon, then Mars. I am updating my budget to include an additional $1.6 billion so that we can return to Space in a BIG WAY!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019

In March, Trump’s head of NASA, Jim Bridenstine, announced that the administration was aiming to put men back on the moon by 2024. Additionally, last October Vice President Mike Pence stated, “Our determination is to see Americans back on the moon in the very near future.” While Trump’s anti-lunar comments may seem contradictory compared to prior messages from his government, everything becomes much clearer when viewed in the context of that night’s Fox Business content. An hour before the president’s Twitter tirade, a guest on the network’s business channel expressed doubt about a potential moon voyage. Neil Cavuto, that night’s special guest, reportedly said that NASA is “refocusing on the moon, the next sort of quest, if you will, but didn’t we do this moon thing quite a few decades ago?”

Trump has long been a big fan of Fox News and Fox Business, often basing his opinions on whatever is expressed on the network’s many shows. Analysts have also shown that Trump’s pattern of tweets, as well of the content of said tweets, often match up with the content of that day’s Fox and Friends episode, causing many to draw the conclusion that Trump sits in the White House and effectively tweets out whatever Fox News says.