Trump considering attending rocket launch in Florida

President Trump on Thursday said that he is considering attending a major rocket launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida next week.

“I’m thinking about going,” Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday afternoon before departing for a trip to Michigan to visit a Ford plant making ventilators.

“That’ll be next week, to the rocket launch. I hope you’re all going to join me. I’d like to put you on the rocket and get rid of you for a while,” the president quipped.

NASA astronauts are scheduled to fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft on May 27, lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center complex at Cape Canaveral. The flight will mark the last flight test for the Crew Dragon spacecraft before it enters regular service.

Vice President Pence is already expected to attend the launch.

“It’s great to be in Florida because I’m going to be back in a week, because not too far from here, for the first time in almost 10 years, we’re going to send American astronauts back to space in American rockets from Kennedy Space,” Pence told reporters on Wednesday while meeting with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) about efforts to reopen the Sunshine State during the coronavirus pandemic.

DeSantis also suggested Wednesday that it was possible Trump would make the trip. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters at a later press briefing that the White House did not have any update on potential plans.