People are not happy that Bill Nye the 'Science Guy' is going to Trump's State of the Union

A science guy is heading to Capitol Hill to watch an anti-science president address the nation on Tuesday.

Bill Nye the "Science Guy" is going to watch President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in person, and of course, not everyone is happy about it.

More than 28,000 signatures have been added to a petition asking that Nye refuse to attend the State of the Union.

"Bill, please be the Science Guy, not the Bigoted Climate Denial Guy," the petition reads.

Part of what's fueling the uproar around Nye attending the speech is the fact that he was invited to the address by Congressman Jim Bridenstine, Republican of Oklahoma, Trump's contentious pick to lead NASA.

"Bill Nye has been inspiring countless young people to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math since before we used STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math] as an acronym," Bridenstine said in a statement.

Via Giphy

"Our country needs these disciplines now more than ever.  It is an honor to have ‘The Science Guy’ as my guest at the State of the Union Address.”

Bridenstine's invitation seems like a self-serving idea, considering that his nomination to lead the space agency has run into significant opposition. Unlike many previous NASA heads, the congressman isn't a shoe-in for the role. When the Senate Commerce Committee took up his nomination in January, every Democrat voted against him, and his bid was sent to the floor on a party-line vote.

Democrats aren't happy with Bridenstine's history of partisan politics and the fact that he doesn't have a background in science. It's possible that by bringing Nye, Bridenstine is trying to curry favor with the scientific community and Democrats whose votes he's trying to court.

One irony to this, of course, is that Nye is not actually a Phd. scientist by training either. His background is in engineering, though he's spent much of his career as a science evangelist and advocate. Most recently he appeared in Netflix's Bill Nye Saves the World.

Some of Nye's fans have also taken to social media to express their displeasure at his decision to go to the State of the Union.

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But here's the thing about Bill Nye: While he's an outspoken advocate on issues like climate change and a harsh critic of Trump in that respect, he also needs get along with the White House. Nye is the CEO of the Planetary Society, an organization that advocates for space exploration.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that he needs to make nice with the administration that will effectively set space exploration policies for at least the next three years. If nothing else, getting a little face time with the administration could benefit the Planetary Society in the future.

"At the State of the Union address, I hope to hear the President present plans for an ambitious, science-driven space exploration agenda," Nye said in the statement.

So say we all, Nye. So say we all.