NASA researchers announced Wednesday that they’d discovered a previously unknown group of seven planets around a red dwarf sun, three of which have the proper conditions to harbor life. The thrilling discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system is huge news in the search for extraterrestrial life, and people on Twitter are definitely psyched up about it… because it’s a chance to make the same President Trump jokes over and over.
Trump, with his plans to build a Mexican border wall and ban travel from particular majority-Muslim countries, has been very vociferous about keeping out what some Americans might call “aliens.” These facts were not lost on any of the jokesters who wanted to comment on the TRAPPIST news.
NASA finds Earth-hab planets round Trappist-1 star. Trump announces wall to keep aliens out. pic.twitter.com/hHmJl7tcz4
— Peter Stockwell (@PeterJStockwell) February 22, 2017
Trump calls for space wall to keep out aliens, will make Trappist-1 pay for it. #Resist #ScienceMarch #TheResistance https://t.co/qT6iyTX33M
— End Trumpism (@TrumpsBane) February 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/saiprasadsunny5/status/834478570495897600
Trump just signed an executive order to build a wall along the Kuiper Belt blocking illegal Trappist-1 aliens from entering our solar system
— Joe Faraci (@jofar) February 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/scott_duchesne/status/834494489498615808
BREAKING NEWS: Trump signs Executive Order banning aliens from these 7 planets from entering US:
— Rick Kempinski (@rickkemp202) February 22, 2017
TRAPPIST-1b – 1h
Trump proposes border wall around Trappist-1. To keep out aliens.
— Cat what looks like a duck. (@Joseph_Palmer) February 22, 2017
#asknasa If aliens from Trappist system arrive within the next 4 years, how can we make sure they are not deported by Trump?
— Eduard Jacobs (@__e_d_u_a_r_d__) February 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/jeansasseville/status/834533256116764673
There are literally hundreds of tweets making the same crack about how Trump wants to keep foreigners, probably even space foreigners, out of the U.S. And there are dozens more on the flip side of that: New habitable planets present the possibility of leaving Earth to escape Trump and the consequences of his presidency.
OK, no they don’t. It’s a virtual certainty that Trump—and maybe all of us?—will be dead before we figure out how to get there. But the TRAPPIST-1 planets at least provide the possibility of joking about escape.
Maybe I can move to Trappist-1e if trump doesn’t get impeached 😟
— jamal (@Jayymalx) February 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/KitWinter/status/834491469457084417
It might take us 400,000 years to get to TRAPPIST-1 but girls we have to get off this shit show before Trump kills us all pic.twitter.com/uizAD7IvYK
— brooke. (@WholeGlass0fB) February 22, 2017
Opening some condos on one of the new planets announced. Headline was "No Trump on Trappist-1!" and they're already sold out. #FuckTrump
— matt ⚡ (@mtthwjlbrks) February 22, 2017
I was going to start packing before those planets get an immigration policy.
— ThrenodyT (@ThrenodyT) February 22, 2017
Only thing I have to say about Trappist-1: Ain't no Trump there. #letsgo
— Psylah (@psylah) February 22, 2017
TRAPPIST-1 contains fantastic possibilities for novel scientific discovery. Novel jokes, though, seem to be altogether lacking.