Donald Trump gave the stars and stripes a hug before an eye-catching speech which saw him vow to launch a new military ‘Space Force.’ The president made the patriotic gesture at the beginning of a meeting of the National Federation of Independent Businesses in Washington Tuesday, which saw him hail his own recent investment in NASA.

Axar.az informs citing metro.co.uk.

He said: ‘You will have the Air Force and soon you will have the Space Force, because that’s where it’s at – space.’ The president’s comments came a day after he signed a new US policy for space traffic control to aid American leadership in space. Speaking at the White House, Trump explained: ‘The essence of the American character is to explore new horizons and to tame new frontiers.

‘But our destiny beyond the Earth is not only a matter of national identity, but a matter of national security so important for our military. … ‘When it comes to defending America, it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. ‘We must have American dominance in space.’ The president also highlighted his own politically correct credentials while addressing entrepreneurs by saying he had stopped using the word ‘mankind’ and replaced it with ‘humankind.’ Trump said: ‘You embody the spirit of independence and adventure that turned America from 13 colonies into the most incredible republic in the history of humankind. ‘See, I dont say mankind anymore, I say humankind. do the women understand that? ‘I dont know, they want me to be politically correct. ‘Oh look, a couple woman are having the thumb up. You like that? You like that! Now I’m happy.’ The light-hearted speech came as the president’s administration faced ongoing fury over its decision to separate child migrants from their parents at America’s southern border.