Trump drops NASA nomination of Musk ally Jared Isaacman

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he is withdrawing the nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, a close ally of Elon Musk, to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Isaacman, the CEO and founder of a payment processing company Shift4, went through the hearing process with the Senate’s Commerce Committee last month - and his nomination was approved in late April.

“The Administrator of NASA will help lead humanity into space and execute President Trump’s bold mission of planting the American flag on the planet Mars,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston told Semafor. “It’s essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump’s America First agenda and a replacement will be announced directly by President Trump soon.”

A vote by the full Senate was expected to take place shortly. In a shocking turn of events for many, Trump, however, announced that Isaacman’s candidacy is withdrawn without giving any specific details as to why the decision was made.

“After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.”

Isaacman took it to X to comment on the decision.

I am incredibly grateful to President Trump @POTUS, the Senate and all those who supported me throughout this journey. The past six months have been enlightening and, honestly, a bit thrilling. I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the…

undefined Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) June 1, 2025

Isaacman is a business partner of Elon Musk. He has already flown in space twice, bought a series of spaceflights from Musk-owned SpaceX, and performed the world’s first private spacewalk last September.

In April, however, he tried to distance himself from the Tesla CEO, saying he would focus on a lunar landing if confirmed, which Musk has referred to as a “distraction.”

Musk, who has recently announced his exit from the Donald Trump administration, responded to the announcement: “It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted.”

Senate Democrats have long been critical of Isaacman’s relationship with Musk, especially after The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk personally asked Isaacman to lead the agency.

NASA has been without a Senate-confirmed administrator since Bill Nelson stepped down from the position in January.