DONALD Trump was accused of flipping a middle finger at a female astronaut after she corrected him on Friday.

He dragged his finger across his forehead as NASA's Jessica Meir fact-checked him about women spacewalkers.

Donald Trump with Vice President Mike Pence, left, during the call to the International Space Station on Friday, during which he was accused of giving a middle finger Credit: Rex Features

US astronauts Jessica Meir, left, and Christina Koch on Friday. The pair were the first all-female team to perform a spacewalk Credit: AP:Associated Press

In a call to Meir and her colleague Christina Koch aboard the International Space Station, Trump incorrectly said they were the first women to walk outside the Earth-orbiting lab.

He meant to congratulate them for being the first female-only team to exit the ISS to perform a spacewalk.

President Trump said: "You are amazing people; they're conducting the first ever female spacewalk to replace an exterior part of the space station."

A female astronaut performed a spacewalk for the first time in 1984 - and 14 more have followed since.

This is the first time that there's been two women outside at the same time Jessica Meir

Correcting the president, Meir replied: "We don't want to take too much credit because there have been many other female spacewalkers before.

"This is the first time that there's been two women outside at the same time."

At this point, Trump raised his middle finger and scratched his head in an awkward manner - in view of TV crews and press photographers.

The gesture led to furious accusations that Trump was throwing a not-so-subtle insult at NASA hero Meir.

Donald Trump was filmed appearing to scratch his head with his middle finger during the call

The gesture was met with outrage online, where President Trump was accused of flipping a middle finger at the NASA astronauts Credit: Twitter

Trump was corrected for mistakenly saying the spacewalk on Friday was the first to involve a female astronaut Credit: Twitter

Critics of the president insisted that his middle finger gesture was not an accident Credit: Twitter

Anti-gun campaigner Shannon Watts posted the footage online, writing: "When gently corrected by one of the astronauts about how other women have spacewalked, Donald Trump uses his middle finger to 'fix' his hair.

"How is this even real life?"

Replying to the clip, one Twitter user wrote: "There is absolutely no way that was not on purpose.

"How dare he treat these women are much better than he ever will be and have accomplished much more in life than he has."



'HOW CRUDE'

Another added: "Trump gives our two female spacewalkers his middle finger as they correct him, saying they are not the first women to walk in space, as he had said.

"Flipping the bird was so obvious. Oh, how crude."

Body language expert Patti Wood told DailyMail.com Trump's act was deliberate, adding: "I knew immediately it was done purposely."

In February 2017, Trump appeared to perform the same gesture when sat with Omarosa Manigault.

The former aide later wrote a tell-all book in which she was fiercely critical about her time in the White House.

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And in September that year, Trump was filmed rubbing his face with his middle finger when asked about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.

Koch and Meir's historic eight-hour space walk took place last week.

Their job was to mend a broken part of the International Space Station's solar power network.

Trump performed a similar gesture in February 2017 when he was sat with Omarosa Manigault - who would go on to become a fierce critic Credit: CSPAN

Trump was filmed rubbing his head with his middle finger during the G7 summit in Italy in 2017 Credit: CGTN Africa

2 Koch, left, and Meir's historic eight-hour space walk took place last week Credit: EPA

2 A NASA image shows them working outside the ISS. Theirs was the first all-female spacewalk Credit: AFP or licensors