Washington– president Donald Trump He announced Tuesday that he had decided to nominate Jared Isaacman to serve as NASA administrator, months after the tech billionaire’s nomination was withdrawn over concerns about his political leanings.
Trump announced in late May that he had done so He decided to withdraw Isaacman After a “comprehensive review” of his “previous engagements”. Weeks after withdrawing, Trump went further in expressing his concerns about Isaacman’s Republican credentials.
At the time, Trump admitted that he thought Isaacman “was very good,” but he became “surprised to learn” that Isaacman was a “good guy.” Blue-blooded Democratwho had never contributed to my audience before.
Isaacman has the endorsement of former Trump advisor DOGE and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. The president and Musk had a public falling out earlier this year, but they are now on better terms.
Last week, Trump told reporters that he had spoken with Musk “off and on” since they sat together at conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s funeral last month in Arizona and that their relationship was “good.”
Trump did not mention his previous decision to nominate and then withdraw Isaacman in his Tuesday evening announcement of the renomination on his Truth Social platform. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s decision to reverse course.
“This evening, I am thrilled to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished businessman, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as NASA Administrator,” Trump said. “Jared’s passion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, uncovering the secrets of the universe, and advancing the new space economy make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new era.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is serving as interim NASA administrator. The president on Tuesday praised Duffy for doing a “fantastic job.”
Isaacman, The CEO and founder of credit card processing company Shift4 has been a close collaborator with Musk since he purchased his first charter flight with SpaceX.
He also purchased a series of spaceflights from SpaceX and performed the first private spacewalk. SpaceX has extensive contracts with NASA.
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee agreed Nominated by Isaacman In late April, a vote by the full Senate was expected when Trump announced he would withdraw the nomination.
In his country Social media sharing On Tuesday, Isaacman thanked Trump for the nomination and the “space-loving community.” He made no reference to previous unrest.