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The Reasons behind the pullback of Isaacman’s nomination as future NASA Administrator – by Frederic Eger – Photo: ‘ Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on April 9, 2025. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls) – Jared Isaacman, a billionaire tech entrepreneur and private astronaut, has opened up on why he believes his nomination to be NASA administrator was abruptly withdrawn by the White House. I was a good, visible target’: Jared Isaacman on why Trump pulled his NASA chief nomination. “It was a real bummer,” Isaacman said during an appearance on the All-In Podcast on June 4, describing the moment he was told the president had “decided to go in a different direction.” Isaacman was sounded out for the role of NASA administrator in early December by then-president-elect Donald Trump. The official process then proceeded, with Isaacman passing a committee vote in late April. By late May, a full Senate confirmation hearing was expected to come within days, for which Isaacman appeared to have broad support.
However, the White House revealed publicly on May 31 that Isaacman’s nomination would be withdrawn. The statement did not give an overt reason for dropping the 42-year-old Isaacman. Isaacman provided his first public comments on the development, stating that he got a call Friday of last week that the president decided to go in a different direction. He added that he started to get some details and had a “pretty good idea” of the rationale for the decision.
Isaacman said that the timing was much of a coincidence. There was other changes going on the same day, referring obliquely to the split between President Trump and Elon Musk, the billionaire SpaceX owner. On May 28, Musk criticized a major administration bill currently being considered by the U.S. Congress, followed by the announcement on May 29 that he will be leaving the Trump administration on May 30.
A sharper fallout continued and spilled over onto social media, leading, Isaacman said, to the withdrawal of his nomination. He said that “people can draw their own conclusions,” adding that “the direction that people are going, or are thinking on this, seems to check out to me.”
Isaacman also dismissed the suggestion that his nomination was pulled due to his earlier funding activities. He said that it was not a new development. The matter of his bipartisan donations had been noted and discussed by observers following news of his initial nomination. He also described himself as a moderate, though “right-leaning.”
Isaacman has only spoken to Elon Musk a few dozen times, primarily regarding human spaceflight missions. He has funded and commanded two SpaceX-funded private Earth orbit missions. Isaacman expressed gratitude to President Trump, the Senate, and those who supported him, describing the time as “enlightening and thrilling.”