President Donald Trump said the US will send astronauts to Mars to plant the American "stars and stripes" flag on Mars.
This is an important goal of billionaire Elon Musk - one of Donald Trump's biggest allies. Elon Musk wants to conquer the red planet and has promoted the priority of US space travel goals.
"We will pursue our manifest destiny to the stars and send American astronauts to plant the Star-Spangled Banner and leave a mark on Mars," Donald Trump emphasized in his inaugural speech at the Capitol Rotunda on January 20, local time.
Elon Musk - CEO of SpaceX - has become a major ally of Donald Trump and his political donor in the 2024 US presidential election.
Elon Musk wants NASA to abandon plans to return to the Moon and head straight to Mars instead.
The billionaire founder of SpaceX calls the colonization of Mars “life insurance.” In early January 2025, in a post on the social network X, Elon Musk wrote, “We’re going straight to Mars.” “The moon is a distraction,” he noted.
According to CNN, in his inaugural speech, President Donald Trump emphasized that America's golden age has begun. "In every day of the Trump administration, I will put America first," he affirmed.
"Over the past eight years, I have been tested and tried more than any president in the 250-year history of our country. And I have learned a lot along the way. I can tell you that the journey to reclaim our republic was not easy," said Donald Trump.
He referred to his escape from the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and shared: "I firmly believe that I was saved by God to make America great again."
He stressed that for Americans, January 20, 2025 is the day of liberation. He honored Martin Luther King and emphasized that "we will make his dream come true".
As for the actions he will take, Mr. Trump said he will declare a national emergency at the southern border. All illegal entry will be stopped. And the US will begin the process of sending millions of foreign criminals back to where they came from.
His administration would also reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy to stop migrants from entering the U.S. He would also sign executive orders designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Mr. Trump also made a number of commitments related to tax cuts, oil and gas exploitation... "With my actions today, we will end the Green New Deal. We will revoke the electric vehicle mandate, save our auto industry, and keep my sacred promise to the great American auto workers" - Mr. Trump said.
Mr Trump said his proudest legacy was being a keeper of peace and unity. He announced that the hostages in the Middle East had been returned to their families the day before his inauguration.
In his speech, he also mentioned a number of goals such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, reclaiming the Panama Canal. He also pledged to end the "chronic disease epidemic" and protect children's health.
"After all we've been through together, we're on the threshold of the greatest four years in American history," Trump said.
