Stephen Hawking: I fear I may not be welcome in Donald Trump's US 
 
 Stephen Hawking, the leading British physicist and cosmologist, has said he no longer feels welcome in the US under Donald Trump. 
 
 Prof Hawking is a recipient of the prestigious US Franklin medal for science and received the presidential medal of freedom from Barack Obama in 2009. Now he has spoken out about his fears for the country’s “definite swing to a rightwing, more authoritarian approach�?. 
 
 “I would like to visit again and to talk to other scientists, but I fear that I may not be welcome,�? he said in an interview with Good Morning Britain on Monday. 
 
 Stephen Hawking: Jeremy Corbyn is a disaster for Labour Read more 
 
 The 75-year-old Cambridge scientist said he was particularly concerned about Trump’s environment policy. 
 
 “He should replace Scott Pruitt at the Environment Protection Agency,�? he said. “Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and it’s one we can prevent. It affects America badly, so tackling it should win votes for his second term. God forbid.�? 
 
 Hawking has previously described Trump as a demagogue. 
 
 “Trump was elected by people who felt disenfranchised by the governing elite in a revolt against globalisation,�? he told ITV1’s breakfast programme. “His priority will be to satisfy his electorate, who are neither liberal nor that well informed.�? 
 
 Hawking said, however, that he saw signs of hope for the world in the rise of women to powerful positions in public life, and he revealed his excitement at the possibility of sending tiny robots into space to investigate earth-like planets trillions of miles away. 
 
 Asked about the ascent of Theresa May, Nicola Sturgeon and Cressida Dick, the new Met police commissioner, he said: “If we factor in high-powered women in Europe as well, such as Angela Merkel, it seems we are witnessing a seismic shift for women to accede to high-level positions in politics and society. 
 
 “But there may still be a gap between those women achieving high public status and those in the private sector. I welcome these signs of women’s liberation.�? 
 
 When asked whether he thought the Nasa space programme should be restarted following the discovery of new planets, Hawking said: “The recently discovered system of seven Earth-sized planets is 39 light years away. With current technology there is no way we can travel that far. 
 
 “The best we can envisage is robotic nanocraft pushed by giant lasers to 20% of the speed of light. These nanocraft weigh a few grams and would take about 240 years to reach their destination and send pictures back. It is feasible and is something that I am very excited about.�? 
 
 On British politics, Hawking said he felt a “hard Brexit�? should be resisted, with the UK retaining strong links with the EU and China. He also said that Labour, which he backed at the 2015 general election, would not win the next election under Jeremy Corbyn. 
 
 “He doesn’t come across as a strong leader, and he allowed the media to portray him as a leftwing extremist, which he’s not,�? he said. “It’s no good having the right principles if you never get in power.�? 

 The British physicist Stephen Hawking fears he will not be welcome in the United States because of his criticism of how President Donald Trump is treating the country's scientists. 
 
 Hawking made his comments in a recorded interview for ITV's "Good Morning Britain." 
 
 "Trump was elected by people who felt disenfranchised by the governing elite and a revolt against globalization. His priority will be to satisfy this electorate who are neither liberal nor that well informed," he said. 
 
 "The reaction to the election of Donald Trump may have been overdone, but it represents a definite swing to a right-wing, more authoritarian approach."
– Stephen Hawking is afraid he might be persona non grata in America, reports the Guardian, due to the Trump administration's views on the environment and British cosmologist's past criticism of those views. In a conversation Monday with ITV's Good Morning Britain, Hawking said the US has swung "to a right-wing, more authoritarian approach," including the new government's January freeze on EPA hiring and information dissemination—which Hawking roundly denounced, per CNBC. "I would like to visit again and to talk to other scientists, but I fear that I may not be welcome," he says. He adds President Trump should dump EPA chief Scott Pruitt, noted for his skepticism toward climate change, which Hawking calls "one of the great dangers" the world is dealing with. The 75-year-old calls the US "a place I like and admire in many ways," but he isn't quite as complimentary about voters who put Trump into office, calling them "neither liberal nor that well informed." He also revealed what may be a bit of a feminist bent, lauding the rise of women around the world, like Angela Merkel and Theresa May, to top political positions, calling it a "seismic shift." "I welcome these signs of women’s liberation," he said. As for Britain's upcoming break from the EU, Hawking thinks the UK should resist a "hard Brexit" and keep close ties to both Europe and China. A final reveal in the interview: Hawking says Virgin Group founder Richard Branson has offered him a seat on his spaceship when it launches into the cosmos, the Independent reports. "I thought no one would take me," Hawking said.