America just stepped into what sounds like the plot of a science fiction movie.
During a major science and technology conference in Texas, the Trump Administration’s top science official claimed that the United States now possesses technology that can “manipulate time and space” and “leave distance annihilated.”
Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, made the striking statements on April 14 during his keynote address at the Endless Frontiers Retreat in Austin.
The event brought together government officials, scientists, and business leaders to discuss America’s future in innovation.
Kratsios said the U.S. is entering “the early light of the new Golden Age of America,” calling for a renewed national push into advanced technology.
“Our technologies permit us to manipulate time and space,” Kratsios said. “They leave distance annihilated, cause things to grow, and improve productivity.”
He did not clarify whether these claims were literal or metaphorical, but the language has already sparked intense speculation online.
Push to revive mid-century momentum
Throughout his remarks, Kratsios compared current progress to the technological leaps of the 20th century, referencing the Apollo missions, nuclear expansion, and the rise of the internet.
He warned that innovation has slowed in recent decades, hindered by a regulatory system born in the 1970s.
“Advances have not stopped, but something has gone wrong,” Kratsios said. He pointed to a decline in nuclear reactor development, stalled aerospace ambitions, and slower transportation systems as examples of missed opportunities.
He also emphasized the importance of shifting from a reliance on cheap labor and immigration to productivity-enhancing technologies.
“We can build in new ways that let us do more with less,” he said. “Or we can borrow from the future. And we have chosen debt.”
Kratsios described this moment as a turning point, urging the country to “escape the gravity” of the past few decades and re-enter an era of bold invention.
National security, tech diplomacy, and a call to protect innovation
Kratsios also tied technological innovation to U.S. national security and foreign policy. He outlined a three-part strategy to protect American innovation from global competitors — particularly China — by safeguarding intellectual property, securing supply chains, and enforcing export controls.
“We must restrict foreign access to sensitive data and strengthen oversight of international collaborators,” he stated.
The speech reinforced the administration’s “America-first” stance on research security and economic competition.
This strategy builds on recent policy shifts that increase scrutiny of foreign investment in U.S. tech firms and require universities to disclose funding sources.
In a call to action, he urged innovators not to retreat from politics. “You and your fellow Americans cannot afford to give up on the nation,” he said. “All of us must labor to preserve the inheritance of the American Century.”
He closed by restating his boldest claim: “It is the choices of individuals… to craft new technologies and give themselves to scientific discoveries that will bend time and space.”
