Biden ridiculed for joking about going to space to get ISS astronauts back: ‘Can't walk through sand’

LIMA, PERU: President Joe Biden faced backlash on the Internet after he joked about rescuing the astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a meeting with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte.

The 81-year-old politician reportedly met Boluarte at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ week on Friday, November 15, in Lima, Peru.

The two leaders discussed “US-Peru cooperation in security and counternarcotics, economic investment and trade, and space collaboration,” as reported by White House.

Jill wants to send Joe Biden ‘to space’

During the meeting, Joe Biden spotted NASA administrator Bill Nelson in the audience as he went on to say, as per New York Post, “Every time my wife thinks I’m getting out of hand, she says, ‘I’m going to call [Nelson] and have him send you to space.'”

“And I’m a little concerned he may want to send me to space because we got to get some folks back home!” he further added.

The president was referring to astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stuck in space since June after an issue happened with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.

Sunita Williams says she’s doing ‘a lot of squats’ in space

The pair went on an eight-day mission but it got extended. In February next year, they are expected to return in SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida in September.

Earlier this month, Williams, 59, shared, as per Marca, “In space, things shift around quite a bit. You've probably heard of fluid shifts.”

“Folks in space, their heads look a little bit bigger because the fluid evens out along the body. My thighs are a little bit bigger, my butt is a little bit bigger. We do a lot of squats,” she added.

Netizens suggest Joe Biden should send Kamala Harris to space

Meanwhile, Biden’s joke was not taken in a good way by netizens as an X user tweeted, “Maybe Elon will give him a ride.”

The second user commented, “He has the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever.”

An individual said, “He’s been there in space for four years. Why now?”

Another individual shared, “Biden can't find his way out of the building without help 🙄 can't wait until he's no longer the figurehead president.”

“He should send Kamala,” a person suggested.

“The man can't walk through sand. I'm pretty sure space would kick his a**,” the second person stated.

A tweet read, “...can always send him up anyway.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.