by Itunuoluwa Adebo

President Trump, during a video call with NASA astronauts Monday, joked that he wouldn’t want to re-use human urine as drinking water, a practice common in US spaceflight.

The call was scheduled to congratulate Peggy Whitson on breaking the record for longest time spent in space by an American astronaut.

Trump responded following an explanation by Whitson of how human waste is repurposed for consumption, that he would rather the space travellers drink it than himself.

When asked what the astronauts are “learning up there in space,” Whitson described to Trump how those at the International Space Station are researching ways to reuse certain materials such as human waste to create resources.

Whitson explained that “Water is such a precious resource up here that we also are cleaning up our urine and making it drinkable, it’s really not as bad as it sounds.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Trump responded. “Better you than me.”

Other participants of the call were NASA astronauts Jack Fischer and Kate Rubins and First daughter, Ivanka Trump.