President Trump: 'Space Is a War-Fighting Domain'

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump suggested the idea of a national “space force” to create a military beyond the atmosphere.

“My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war fighting domain, just like the land air and sea,” Trump said at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. “We may even have a space force, develop another one, space force. We have the air force. We will have a space force.”

“The United States is going to do colonel John Glenn proud. We are finally going to lead again,” the president declared. He even suggested that America would not have considered an expedition to Mars if Hillary Clinton had won in 2016. “Very soon we are going to Mars. You wouldn’t have been going to Mars if my opponent won. That I can tell you. You wouldn’t even be thinking about it. You wouldn’t be thinking about it.”

Trump suggested that just like the Air Force, America may soon have a “Space Force.”

“I was saying at the other day because we are doing a tremendous amount of work in space. I said maybe we need a new force. We will call it the space force. I was not really serious and that I thought what a great idea,” he said. “That would be the big breaking story. Look at all those people back there. Look at that. Oh, that fake news.”

It remained unclear as to whether or not the president was joking, and the White House did not return CNBC’s request for comment.

Watch the president’s remarks below.