Trump renominates Musk ally Jared Isaacman to run NASA months after withdrawal
Jared Isaacman, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), testifies at the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, USA on April 9, 2025.
Ken Cedeno | Reuters
President Donald Trump renominated Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, after withdrawing his previous nomination months ago due to what the president called a “thorough review of prior relationships.”
“Jared’s passion for Space, his astronaut experience, and his dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a brave new Era,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.
Isaacman, who is friends with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, was first chosen to head NASA in December, before Trump took office. Isaacman is a billionaire who founded the payments company Shift4 and led two private space flights.
But Trump withdrew the nomination in late May following an argument between the President and Musk, who was leading the White House effort to reduce the size of the federal government. Trump said at the time that it was retreat The choice was due to Isaacman’s past associations, but he did not specify what they were. Some reports suggest this is a reference to Isaacman’s previous donations to Democrats.
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