A speech by science adviser Michael Kratsios has attracted attention from people who think he means the U.S. now has time travel technology

A comment by White House science adviser Michael Kratsios has gone viral after a speech in which he claimed U.S. technology can “manipulate time and space,” prompting online speculation.

Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, made the remark during a policy address at the Endless Frontiers Retreat in Austin, Texas on April 14.

“Our technologies permit us to manipulate time and space. They leave distance annihilated, cause things to grow, and improve productivity,” Kratsios said during prepared remarks published on the official White House website.

While the statement was likely intended as aspirational language about technological progress, it has since circulated widely online, with some interpreting the comment literally.

  • @Muehe@lemmy.ml
    12•1 day ago

    The viral interpretation of Kratsios’s comment reflects the growing impact of social media in framing public understanding of government messaging.

    While the White House has not issued a formal clarification, the speech’s wording suggests the phrase was metaphorical—intended to refer to the transformative nature of modern innovation, not literal manipulation of space-time, or the invention of time travel.

    Look who’s talking about “framing” with a fucking headline like that. Damn clickbait, and doesn’t even provide the context that suggests the sentence is metaphorical… It’s not the Onion, but it’s not journalism either.