In a controversial claim, US President Donald Trump and his advisor, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, have accused the previous Biden administration of deliberately delaying the return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS) for "political reasons". The remarks were made during a joint interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, marking the first time Trump and Musk sat down for a televised conversation together.

During the interview, Hannity asked the duo about the "two astronauts that I think were abandoned". In response, Musk stated, "At the President's request, or instruction, we are accelerating the return of the astronauts, which was postponed, kind of, to a ridiculous degree."

Trump then interjected, reinforcing the claim by stating, "They got left in space."

Musk concurred, adding, "Yes, they were left up there for political reasons, which is not good."

Musk also emphasised that returning astronauts from space has been a routine task for SpaceX. "Well, we don't want to be complacent, but we have brought astronauts back from the space station many times before, and always with success."

When asked about the expected timeline for the astronauts' return, Musk estimated that "it’s about four weeks to bring them back."

Trump, in his characteristic style, further alleged that the Biden administration had no intention of bringing the astronauts back. "He (Biden) was going to leave them in space. Can you believe it?" Trump remarked.

Musk responded, "Yes. Well, thanks to you, they are coming back."

ALSO READ: Kerala: Seven Suspended For Ragging First Year Student At Thiruvananthapuram Govt College

Sunita Williams And Butch Wilmore Deny Claims Of Being ‘Abandoned’

However, the astronauts themselves have refuted claims that they were abandoned. In a recent statement, Butch Wilmore directly addressed the growing speculation surrounding their prolonged stay aboard the ISS.

"That’s been the rhetoric. That’s been the narrative from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck—and I get it. We both get it," Wilmore said. "But that is, again, not what our human spaceflight program is about. We don’t feel abandoned, we don’t feel stuck, we don’t feel stranded."

Wilmore also requested a shift in the discourse surrounding their mission. "If you’ll help us change the rhetoric, help us change the narrative. Let’s change it to ‘prepared and committed.’ That’s what we prefer."

Sunita Williams echoed these sentiments, reiterating that the extended stay was a known possibility before their departure. "Butch and I knew this was a test flight," Williams told CNN. "We knew that we would probably find some things (wrong with Starliner) and we found some stuff, and so that was not a surprise."

ALSO READ: White House Shares Video Of Handcuffed And Shackled ‘Illegal Alien’ Amid Donald Trump’s Immigration Crackdown | Watch