Is a president allowed to go? Trump wants Americans on the Moon before his term ends

Donald Trump said the United States has a good shot at landing astronauts on the Moon before his term ends while meeting the Artemis 2 crew. The remarks tied a political timeline to Nasa's Artemis plans, even as technical hurdles and schedule risks remain.

In Short

• Trump avoided firm guarantees despite pointing to progress in NASA timelines
• He joked about whether a sitting president could travel on missions
• Artemis 2 became the first crewed deep-space voyage since Apollo 17

The United States could once again place astronauts on the Moon before the end of President Donald Trump’s current term, at least, that’s the ambition he hinted at in recent remarks.

Speaking to reporters while meeting the crew of the Artemis-2 mission, which returned from a historic flyby of the Moon, Trump said the country has “a good shot” at achieving a crewed lunar landing within the timeline, while avoiding firm guarantees that could invite criticism if missed.

In a lighter moment, he even floated the idea of travelling to space himself, joking about whether a sitting president could join a mission.

Trump said, "We'll have to try it sometime. Is a president allowed to go up in one of these missions?"

NASA'S MOON LANDING PLANS

The goal aligns with NASA’s broader Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.

The current roadmap targets a landing near the Moon’s south pole under Artemis 4, expected no earlier than 2028. That timeline would narrowly fit within a potential second Trump presidency, depending on launch readiness and mission execution.

Trump struck a cautiously optimistic tone. “We don’t like to say definitely but we’re ahead of schedule,” he said, suggesting confidence in recent progress.

He also praised astronauts involved in Artemis 2, including Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, calling them individuals with “unbelievable courage.”

ARTEMIS-2 AND BEYOND

Artemis 2, which recently completed a historic journey around the Moon, marked a major milestone. It was humanity’s first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17, and it set a new distance record, surpassing even Apollo 13.

The mission demonstrated that NASA’s deep-space systems, including the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, are capable of safely transporting astronauts to lunar distances and back.

Still, significant hurdles remain before a landing attempt. Artemis 4 depends on several complex elements coming together: a fully operational lunar lander and upgraded spacecraft systems. Meanwhile, the Lunar Gateway space station has been scrapped.

Delays in any one of these could push timelines further into the future.

Trump also highlighted the role of the United States Space Force, calling it one of the most important initiatives of his administration.

For now, NASA’s Moon ambitions remain technically feasible but tightly scheduled. Whether the US can meet Trump’s implied deadline will depend less on political will and more on engineering precision, funding stability, and the unforgiving realities of spaceflight.

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