President-elect Donald Trump honored the first American to orbit the Earth on Thursday, a little more than an hour after Glenn’s death was announced.
The former Ohio senator died Thursday at age 95 after a prolonged illness.
In his remarks, sent out via his Twitter feed, Trump hailed Glenn as an inspiration to generations of “explorers.”
WATCH: John Glenn, first American astronaut to orbit the Earth, has died at the age of 95: https://t.co/nsPgbha4f2 https://t.co/KjaehRwq90
— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 8, 2016
“Today we lost a great pioneer of air and space in John Glenn,” Trump wrote.
“He was a hero and inspired generations of future explorers. He will be missed.”
Trump’s words hearkened to those of author Tom Wolfe, who introduced Glenn to a new generation of men and women with his book “The Right Stuff.”
Glenn, Wolfe wrote was "the last true national hero America has ever made."
Today we lost a great pioneer of air and space in John Glenn. He was a hero and inspired generations of future explorers. He will be missed.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2016
Cox Media Group