President Donald Trump told the Artemis II astronauts this week that he wants their autographs when they return from their lunar mission.

The Artemis II mission saw the U.S. send a manned spacecraft to loop around the moon in the country's first lunar mission since the end of the Apollo program. The effort will pave the way for a return to the lunar surface at a later date.

Speaking to the astronauts during a live-stream, Trump told them he would ask NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman "to bring you over, and I’ll ask for your autograph because I don’t really ask for autographs much, but you deserve that," according to The Hill.

“We have a lot of things to be proud of lately, but this is — there’s nothing like what you’re doing, circling around the moon for the first time in more than a half a century and breaking the all-time record for the farthest distance from Planet Earth,” Trump added.

The astronauts are expected to return to Earth on Friday evening, landing in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.