Topline
President Donald Trump named Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the new interim head of NASA on Wednesday, more than a month after he pulled the nomination of Elon Musk ally and tech billionaire Jared Isaacman.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks during a Cabinet Meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump … More
Key Facts
Trump announced the appointment in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying he was “directing our GREAT Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to be Interim Administrator of NASA.”
The president praised Duffy’s work as Transport Secretary and said he was doing a “TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country’s Transportation Affairs.”
Trump noted that Duffy will stay in the role for “a short period of time,” but did not mention a timeline for when he will name an official nominee for the NASA Administrator role.
Duffy responded to Trump’s post on X, saying he was honored to accept “this mission” and added, “Time to take over space.”
What Do We Know About Trump’s Withdrawal Of Isaacman’s Nomination?
In December, Trump announced he was nominating Isaacman to serve as NASA Administrator in a Truth Social post, which described him as “an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut.” The billionaire’s nomination advanced through the Senate’s Commerce Committee in April, and the chamber was set for a vote to confirm his nomination after its Memorial Day break. However, by the end of May, the White House withdrew his nomination, and Trump said he was doing so after a “thorough review” of Isaacman’s “prior associations.” He added: “I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.” In a post on X, Isaacman said: “I’ll always be grateful for this opportunity and cheering on our President and NASA as they lead us on the greatest adventure in human history.”
Why Was Isaacman’s Nomination Withdrawn?
Trump commented on his decision to pull Isaacman’s nomination as his feud with Elon Musk escalated once again earlier this month. In a post on Truth Social, the president claimed Musk had “asked that one of his close friends run NASA,” refering to the nomination of Isaacman. Trump said after the tech billionaire’s nomination he was “surprised to learn” that Isaacman was a “blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before.” Trump also suggested that a friend of Musk leading the space agency would be a conflict of interest due to SpaceX’s contracts with NASA.
