5 Months Later, Elon Wins The War Over NASA
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he was nominating Jared Isaacman to serve as NASA administrator after previously withdrawing his nomination.
Trump previously nominated Elon Musk ally Isaacman for the role, but withdrew him in May due to “prior associations.” Days later, Musk lashed out at Trump as he left the administration, which inside sources at the Daily Caller told the Daily Caller was due in part to Isaacman’s nomination being withdrawn. Trump reappointed Isaacman months later, after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was named acting administrator. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: White House Insiders Vent About Big, Beautiful Breakup, Reveal Elon’s Final Flaw)
“Sean Duffy has done an incredible job as Acting Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Tonight, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot and astronaut, to serve as NASA Administrator,” Trump wrote in a TruthSocial article.
“Jared’s passion for space, his experience as an astronaut, and his dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new space economy, make him the ideal candidate to lead NASA into a bold new era. Congratulations to Jared, his wife Monica, and their children, Mila and Liv. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” added the president.
After withdrawing Isaacman’s name in May, some accused a senior official of convincing Trump to withdraw the nomination because of the candidate’s past donations to Democrats, CNN reported.
Isaacman and Trump continued to talk throughout the summer, sources told CNN. Duffy wanted the role for himself and spoke directly to Trump instead of traditional White House channels, which upset some staffers, sources told the outlet. NASA and a spokesperson for Duffy have denied the rumors.
Musk lashed out at Duffy in October, calling the Transportation Secretary “Sean Dummy” and accusing him of trying to ruin NASA in several articles on X.
Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA! https://t.co/cP0RxP09rt
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2025
Fake “dangerously stupid” Sean.
The part in quotation marks is its call sign. I didn’t want to forget that.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2025
“Should someone whose greatest claim to fame is climbing trees run America’s space program? Musk posted in a poll X about Duffy who is a world champion lumberjack speed climber.
