Trump says he’ll follow Space Force with Space National Guard if elected

Former President Donald Trump said Monday that he will create a Space National Guard if he retakes the White House — with the reserve force designated to support the uniformed service created by Trump in 2019.

“One of my proudest achievements in my first term was to create Space Force, the first new branch of the armed forces in over 70 years. It’s a big deal,” the Republican presidential nominee said in a speech to members of the National Guard Association in Detroit.

“Now that Space Force is up and running, I agree with your leadership — you want this very badly — but I agree that the time has come to create a Space National Guard as the primary combat reserve of the US Space Force,” said Trump, 78.

“As president, I will sign historic legislation creating a Space National Guard.”

Trump added that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) had recently told him of the idea: “I love it.”

“So we’re going to do that. Space Force has been very important — very, very important,” the 45th president said.

“When I did that, the other people came in, they wanted to end it, and they were just hammered.”

Trump seemed to be referring to then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki in 2021 mockingly likening the fate of the Space Force to a decision on the colors used to paint Air Force One.

Psaki was forced to clarify that “we are not revisiting the decision to establish the Space Force.”

There’s been political debate over whether Space Force, which currently has about 14,000 members — referred to as “Guardians” — needs its own National Guard division to support duties such as handling satellite data and working to ensure American technical supremacy.

Some states, such as California and Alaska, already have Air or Army National Guard units working with space operations — but 48 state governors in April resisted Biden administration plans to forcibly transfer the assignments of Guard members, saying it would undermine traditional state autonomy.

Other proposals include renaming the Air National Guard as the Air and Space National Guard.

A Congressional Budget Office report from 2020 found that the government would spend at least $100 million per year to maintain a 1,500-person Space National Guard, plus an additional $20 million in upfront construction costs to build new facilities.

Spokespeople for Vice President Kamala Harris did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on her stance on a Space National Guard.

Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, currently leads the National Space Council.