"Billionaire Space Race Thanks to Me"…Trump's Self-Praise

Photo by Fox News

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] British billionaire Richard Branson, chairman of the Virgin Group, succeeded in a private space tourism test flight, while former U.S. President Donald Trump on the 11th (local time) credited himself for the space race among English-speaking billionaires.

In an interview with Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures' on the same day, former President Trump mentioned the establishment of the Space Force during his tenure, saying, "I am very proud," and praised the Space Force as well-run and excellent.

He added that Russia and China have Space Forces and were far ahead of the U.S., emphasizing, "I started that."

Regarding the space tourism competition among English-speaking billionaires such as Branson, Jeff Bezos, chairman of Amazon's board, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former President Trump said, "I made it possible for them to do this."

He said, "Many wealthy people like space. They like to send rocket ships into space," and added, "During my administration, I said let the private sector do it."

He also took credit for allowing private leasing of the best facilities in the U.S. needed to send rockets into space, saying, "Now, thanks to what I did, we are ahead in space."

On the same day, Branson flew aboard the 'VSS Unity,' a spaceplane of Virgin Galactic, which he founded, from New Mexico, reaching an altitude of 55 miles (about 88.5 km), experiencing about four minutes of weightlessness in microgravity before returning to Earth.

After disembarking from the VSS Unity, Branson clenched his fist and embraced his wife, children, and grandchildren, while the audience cheered in celebration.

Branson congratulated the Virgin Galactic team for the successful private space tourism test flight, saying, "It took 17 years of hard work to get here."

By personally boarding the spaceplane on this day, Branson made his first appearance in the private space war among English-speaking billionaires.

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and a rival in the space race alongside Branson, left a congratulatory message to Branson on Instagram, saying, "Congratulations on the flight."

Bezos plans to embark on a space tourism experience himself on the 20th, coinciding with the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, along with his younger brother Mark and 82-year-old Wally Funk.

Space exploration company SpaceX, founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, will challenge orbital flight around Earth in September by sending four civilians aboard a spacecraft. However, CEO Musk does not plan to board the spacecraft himself.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.