In a surprising turn of events, Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur and President Donald Trump’s nominee for NASA administrator, has been informed by the White House that his nomination will be rescinded. According to sources familiar with the situation, this decision comes despite Isaacman having received approval from the Senate Commerce Committee and being poised for a full Senate vote as early as next week.
On Friday, Isaacman was notified of the White House's decision to withdraw his nomination. This information was shared by a person who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the personnel changes. Despite the circumstances, Isaacman has chosen not to comment publicly. The news was initially reported by Semafor.
A spokesperson for the White House, Liz Huston, released a statement on Saturday, indicating that President Trump intends to nominate a new candidate for the position. “It is 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,” Huston said.
The reasons behind the White House's abrupt change of course remain unclear. However, there have been indications of internal division among Republicans regarding Isaacman's nomination. Some members of Congress expressed concerns about his close ties to SpaceX and Elon Musk, particularly following Musk's recent departure from his role as head of the U.S. DOGE Service. Isaacman has previously flown to space on two occasions with SpaceX and has commissioned two additional flights with the company.
As the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, Isaacman has garnered significant backing from various stakeholders within the space community. Notably, some of his allies, including Elon Musk, are actively lobbying the White House and President Trump to reconsider the decision to withdraw Isaacman's nomination. Musk took to social media platform X to comment on Isaacman's capabilities, stating, “It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted.”
Isaacman's nomination comes at a time when the White House is proposing significant cuts to NASA's budget. On Friday, the administration released its budget request, which suggests a 24 percent reduction in funding for the agency. This proposal marks the smallest budget request for NASA since 1961 when adjusted for inflation, as reported by the Planetary Society. Most of these cuts are expected to affect NASA's science programs, leading the Planetary Society to characterize the situation as an “extinction-level event” for the agency.
Adding to the political drama, Laura Loomer, a prominent right-wing activist within the administration, suggested in a post on X that Isaacman may be facing retaliation due to his friendship with Elon Musk. Loomer speculated that this could indicate a coordinated effort to undermine Isaacman’s position and disrupt the relationship between President Trump and Musk ahead of the 2026 midterms. This speculation follows a recent Oval Office meeting between Trump and Musk, during which the President praised Musk for his contributions and even presented him with a key to the White House.
