Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon, has endorsed former President Donald Trump‘s bid for the White House, in a blow to Vice President Kamala Harris.
With early voting underway nationwide and Election Day less than a week away, Trump and Harris, the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees, respectively, are making their final arguments to win voters’ support.
“The Presidency requires an understanding of human nature, clarity in judgment, decisiveness, knowledge, understanding, and calm under pressures few have a natural ability to manage, or the life experience to successfully undertake,” Aldrin said in a statement.
The former astronaut said the presidency required a “sober analysis” of situations and the instinct to “lead with resolve.”
“From the skies over Korea in air-to-air combat to navigating, landing, and walking on the Moon, I appreciate this kind of pressure,” Aldrin continued. “I know what it is like to have to make these kinds of decisions, firmly, on principle, with resolve and follow-through. Training, experience, and trust matter.”
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Polling data shows a razor-thin margin between the candidates, as Harris leads nationally with 49 percent of the vote to Trump’s 48 percent, according to The Economist‘s poll tracker.
Nate Silver‘s forecast shows Harris 0.9 points ahead in the polls, with a 71 percent chance of winning the popular vote.
In his endorsement, Aldrin also expressed support for the creation of the U.S. Space Force under the Trump administration.
“Under the first Trump administration, I was impressed to see how human space exploration was elevated, made a policy of high importance again. Under President Trump’s first term, America saw a revitalized interest in space,” he wrote.
“These are concrete accomplishments that align with my concerns and America’s policy priorities,” Aldrin continued.
The U.S. Space Force was established as the sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on December 20, 2019, through the National Defense Authorization Act.
Its primary mission is to organize, train and equip military personnel to protect U.S. and allied interests in space. This includes safeguarding satellites, space assets and U.S. operations against threats from adversarial nations.
Aldrin is a renowned astronaut and engineer best known for being the second person to walk on the moon. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aldrin served as a fighter pilot during the Korean War before joining NASA in 1963.
He made history as the Lunar Module pilot for the Apollo 11 mission, which successfully landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.
Following Neil Armstrong, Aldrin became the second person to step onto the lunar surface, where he conducted experiments and took photographs during their groundbreaking moonwalk.
After his NASA career, Aldrin continued to advocate for space exploration, writing several books, including his autobiography Return to Earth and the science fiction novel Encounter With Tiber. He has also been an outspoken proponent of future human missions to Mars.
His contributions to space exploration have solidified his legacy as a key figure in the history of human spaceflight, and he has also shared his personal struggles with depression and alcoholism, using his platform to inspire others.