Trump Signs Executive Order to Withdraw US from World Health Organization

Former President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing concerns over its handling of global health crises.

During his inaugural address on Monday, US President Donald Trump pledged to dispatch American astronauts to Mars.

Colonization of Mars is a significant objective, as “ambition is the lifeblood of a great nation,” Trump stated.

He stated, “We are committed to fulfilling our manifest destiny by sending American astronauts into space to place the Stars and Stripes on Mars.”

The message seemed to win the approval of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who was observed giving a double thumbs up in response to the Mars comment that also received applause from the audience. A longtime advocate for colonizing Mars, Musk has consistently pledged to send humans there eventually.

During Trump’s election campaign, Musk emphasized Mars colonization as a key talking point to support the Republican nominee. He argued that under Joe Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, winning in November would mean “we will never reach Mars.”

Late last year, Musk shared his projections for when SpaceX might reach the Red Planet. However, he acknowledged that American astronauts may not arrive on Mars during Trump’s presidency.

He wrote in a series of posts on X that uncrewed Starships could land on Mars within two years, potentially with crewed variants passing close to the planet, and fully crewed missions heading there in four years.

Musk also expressed skepticism about implementing representative democracy on the Red Planet, proposing that its colonizers explore alternative forms of governance. He stated, “The Martians will decide how they are ruled. I recommend direct democracy over representative.”