President Donald Trump is the subject of intense backlash after appearing to show his middle finger to a female astronaut who corrected him during a press conference. The moment was captured by CSPAN cameras and made its way across social media shortly after.
WATCH: During live spacewalk call today, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir corrects President Trump for saying that the first all-female spacewalk is “the first time for a woman outside the Space Station.” pic.twitter.com/2Zjk8doTG5
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 18, 2019
After Trump said Friday’s all-female spacewalk was the “first time for a woman outside the Space Station,” NASA astronaut Jessica Meir corrected him. “We don’t want to take too much credit because there have been many other female before us. This is just the first time there have been two women outside at the same time,” she said via teleconference.
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Some people shared a screengrab of Trump rubbing his forehead with his middle finger extended. “[Sort of] looks like President Trump is signaling his displeasure at the female astronaut correcting him,” tweeted economist David Rothschild.
Yeah, short looks like President Trump is signalling his displeasure at the female astronaut correcting him. pic.twitter.com/9d9ogQpXzG
— David Rothschild (@DavMicRot) October 18, 2019
Others joined in on the criticism.
So when he was fact-checked that there were many others before them he looked at somebody and that scratch to his head with his middle finger was definitely a flip off.
— onamission_🆓dom (@Hugieapril) October 18, 2019
Trump sucks. https://t.co/nDxGilM38M
Trump TWICE says this is the first female space walk (nope). Then doesn’t understands there’s a delay when talking to space.
Jessica Meir corrects him.
So then… an American President gives an American astronaut THE FINGER!
His stupidity is out of the world. pic.twitter.com/fiMOCQ640i
— KevinlyFather 🇺🇲🇨🇦🇲🇼🇸🇿 (@KevinlyFather) October 18, 2019
“Trump says it’s the first-ever female spacewalk. The female astronaut fact-checks him, so naturally, he not-so-subtly gives her the finger,” one user wrote sarcastically.
“Trump seriously hates being schooled by women. After this female astronaut corrects his claim, he looks around, sighs audibly, and then uses his middle finger to “scratch” his head. Really?” another wrote.
“Trump definitely did the middle finger when he was corrected by the WOMAN astronaut,” someone else wrote.
Others wondered how intentional the act was.
“I can’t stand tRump, however I don’t think this was intentional. I say that because at the beginning before the link with the astronauts he does what appears to me to be the same thing with the middle finger and runs it back into his hair,” one user wrote.
“In all fairness, Trump also does that odd middle finger forehead brush BEFORE the astronauts’ call has started. It happens at 1:11. So as much as it wouldn’t surprise me if he flipped the bird, I think it’s just Trump being his weirdo self,” another said.
The first woman to work outside of a space station was Russian astronaut Svetlana Savitskaya in 1984.
Elsewhere during the call, Trump congratulated the astronauts and called them brave. “I just want to congratulate you. What you do is incredible,” Trump said. “You’re very brave people. I don’t think I want to do it.”
Meir, along with astronaut Christina Koch, were working to replace a faulty power unit on the space station. After the task, their spacewalk was extended to perform typical maintenance outside the station.
