The White House has announced that President Donald Trump has withdrawn his nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman, a close associate of Elon Musk, to lead NASA.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, before returning to the presidency, Trump expressed his desire for Isaacman, an entrepreneur and the first non-professional astronaut to walk in space, to be the next NASA administrator.
However, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing unnamed sources, that Trump decided to pull this nomination after learning that Isaacman had made donations to prominent Democrats.
When asked about the report, the White House confirmed the change in nomination. In an email to AFP, the White House stated, “It is essential that the next NASA administrator aligns completely with President Trump’s America First agenda.”
They added, “President Trump will announce a replacement for him soon.”
This move appears to sidestep billionaire Elon Musk, who resigned from his position leading the government efficiency department on Friday. Reportedly, Musk had directly pressured the president to appoint Isaacman, who has significant business ties with SpaceX, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.
As the news emerged, Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to emphasize that “it is rare to find someone with such competence and kindness.”
Isaacman, the 42-year-old founder of Shift4 Payments, has emerged as a leading figure in commercial space travel through his prominent collaborations with SpaceX. He made history last September when he stepped outside the Crew Dragon spacecraft to gaze down at Earth, marking the first spacewalk by a civilian and non-professional astronaut.