On Saturday night, President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew his nomination of Jared Isaacman, a close ally of Elon Musk, to be the next Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
“After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The New York Times reported that Trump had told people he was going to withdraw the nomination after learning that Isaacman, an entrepreneur who has flown into space twice with Musk’s SpaceX company, made donations to Democrats.
In a post on X, Isaacman said he was “incredibly grateful” to Trump, the Senate, and those who supported him through the nomination process over the past six months.
“The President, NASA and the American people deserve the very best–an Administrator ready to reorganize, rebuild and rally the best and brightest minds to deliver the world-changing headlines NASA was built to create,” Isaacman said. “I have not flown my last mission — whatever form that may ultimately take — but I remain incredibly optimistic that humanity’s greatest spacefaring days lie ahead.”
