**Trump Announces Re-Nomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator**
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has decided to nominate Jared Isaacman to serve as his NASA administrator, months after initially withdrawing the tech billionaire’s nomination due to concerns about his political leanings.
In late May, Trump had announced the withdrawal of Isaacman’s nomination following a “thorough review” of his “prior associations.” Weeks later, the president expressed further reservations about Isaacman’s Republican credentials. At the time, Trump acknowledged that he thought Isaacman “was very good,” but revealed he was “surprised to learn” that Isaacman was a “blue blooded Democrat,” who had never contributed to a Republican before.
Isaacman had received the endorsement of Trump’s former DOGE adviser and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Although Trump and Musk had a very public falling out earlier this year, the two are now reportedly on better terms. Last week, Trump told reporters that he and Musk have spoken “on and off” since sitting together at conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s funeral last month in Arizona, describing their current relationship as “good.”
In his Tuesday evening announcement of the re-nomination on his Truth Social platform, Trump made no mention of his previous decision to nominate and then withdraw Isaacman. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the president’s reversal.
“This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA,” Trump posted. “Jared’s passion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new era.”
Since the departure of the previous administrator, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been serving as interim NASA administrator. Trump praised Duffy on Tuesday, saying he has done an “incredible job.”
Isaacman, CEO and founder of credit card-processing company Shift4, has been a close collaborator with Musk ever since purchasing his first chartered flight with SpaceX. He has also bought a series of spaceflights from SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk. SpaceX holds extensive contracts with NASA.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee had approved Isaacman’s nomination in late April, and a full Senate vote had been expected before Trump abruptly withdrew it.
In his own social media post Tuesday, Isaacman thanked Trump for the nomination and expressed gratitude to the “space-loving community,” without referencing the earlier nomination turmoil.
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/05/nx-s1-5599010/trump-nominates-tech-space-jared-isaacman-nasa-administrator