The White House has announced that President Donald Trump has withdrawn his nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman, a close associate of Elon Musk, to lead NASA.
In December, prior to his return to the presidency, Trump expressed his desire for Isaacman, an entrepreneur and the first non-professional astronaut to perform a spacewalk, to be the upcoming NASA administrator.
However, the New York Times reported that Trump decided to revoke this nomination after discovering that Isaacman had made donations to prominent Democrats. The White House confirmed this change in nomination when asked about the report.
In an email to a news agency, the White House stated, “It is essential that the next head of NASA fully aligns with President Trump’s America First agenda.” They added that “President Trump will announce a replacement shortly.”
This decision appears to overlook Elon Musk, who stepped down on Friday from his position in the government efficiency office. Reports indicate that Musk had directly pressured the president to appoint Isaacman, who had significant business dealings with SpaceX, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Following the news, Musk emphasized on social media that it is “rare to find someone so competent and kind-hearted.”
Isaacman, the 42-year-old founder of Shift4 Payments, has emerged as a prominent figure in commercial space travel through his notable collaboration with SpaceX. He made history last September by stepping out of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to view Earth from space while holding onto the exterior of the vessel, marking the first spacewalk conducted by a civilian and non-professional astronaut.