The director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Michael Kratsios has gone viral after he revealed in a recent speech that the Donald Trump administration had the ability to "manipulate time and space" and "leave distance annihilated".
Mr Kratsios made the rather bold statement on Monday (Apr 14), during the Endless Frontiers Retreat, a scientific conference in Texas focused on promoting US technological innovations to maintain global competitiveness.
"Our technologies permit us to manipulate time and space. They leave distance annihilated, cause things to grow, and improve productivity," said Mr Kratsios in the pre-prepared speech.
Throughout the speech, Mr Kratsios described the Trump administration's technology agenda as one focused on boosting research and development, and enabling American companies to lead globally. However, at the end, he referenced his earlier statement again.
"It is the choices of individuals that will make the new American Golden Age possible: the choice of individuals to master the sclerosis of the state, and the choice of individuals to craft new technologies and give themselves to scientific discoveries that will bend time and space, make more with less, and drive us further into the endless frontier."
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Social media reacts
While the White House is yet to issue a formal clarification, the speech's wording suggests that the phrase was metaphorical. However, it didn't stop some social media users from donning their conspiracy hats and searching for a deeper meaning.
"Why is this not a bigger deal??" wrote one user while another added: "What does, "Our technologies permit us to manipulate time and space. They leave distance annihilated," actually mean?
A third commented: "He's talking about jets, semiconductors, broadband, satellites, smartphones, and the cloud. Not teleportation and time travel."
Currently, there is no device publicly known that can 'manipulate time and space' or make distance irrelevant.
