President Trump is planning to withdraw the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a close associate of Elon Musk, who was on track to become the next NASA administrator.
Trump told his peers he intends to yank Isaac Man’s nomination after learning that he had donated to a prominent Democrat, according to three people who have knowledge of deliberations they are not authorized to publicly discuss. This was the latest example of loyalty as an important criterion for the role of management.
In a statement Saturday, a White House spokesperson confirmed the nomination reforms and said that alternatives will be announced soon.
The U-turn comes at a difficult moment for the space agency. So far, NASA has spared deep cuts that have hit the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and other federal research institutions. However, the 2026 Trump administration’s budget proposal aims to slice the space agency’s budget by a quarter, fire thousands of employees, and end funding for numerous missions now and in the future.
The Trump administration also wants to overhaul NASA’s human spaceflight program and ends the Space Launch System Rocket and Orion’s Crew Capsule Initiative after an Astronaut III mission to land astronauts on the moon in 2027 and add money to send astronauts in the coming years.
People inside and outside of NASA hoped that the arrival of Isaacman as an administrator would help provide stability and clearer direction for the institutions that have been operating under proxy administrators since the beginning of Trump’s term.
Isaac Man, who refused to comment when he contacted me by phone on Saturday, was informed of Friday’s decision.
“It is essential that NASA’s next leader is perfectly aligned with Trump’s first American agenda,” White House spokeswoman Liz Houston said in a statement Saturday.
“NASA administrators will help us to lead humanity into space and carry out our bold mission to plant President Trump’s presidential mission on planet Mars,” she said.
Trump told peers he learned from allies that Isaac Man has donated to Democrats, including those with deliberation knowledge during the past two campaign cycles of Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and former Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, and Democrats of California, who have learned from deliberations.
Trump told his advisor he was surprised he hadn’t mentioned the donation before, the two explained the issue, but neither of them said they were given the authority to discuss the issue. Sergio Go, director of the Presidential Personnel Affairs Bureau, who clashed with Musk over the candidate, supported Trump’s move to withdraw the nomination, two others explained the issue.
An aide to Musk did not respond to a message seeking comment.
Installing 42-year-old Isaacman at NASA was one of the biggest benefits Musk pulled away for himself. The space agency previously had a $25 billion budget, which was important for SpaceX, the mask rocket business. Pilot Isaacman, who personally flew to Space twice on SpaceX, invaded the president and himself by giving Trump’s first committee of $2 million.
Withdrawing the nomination is an extraordinary move, given that Isaac Man had already been approved by the Senate Commerce and Science Transport Committee on 19-9 votes. He was scheduled to be confirmed by the senator next week. It will also be a test case of how much of the mask’s impact remains in the White House, where he no longer works physically as an advisor.
Trump told Musk Friday that he intends to pull back Isaac Man’s nomination, according to someone with conversational knowledge.
Isaacman is the CEO of payment processing company Shift4 Payments, and Trump praised him when he announced his choice in December.
“Jarred promotes NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in space science, technology and exploration,” Trump posted to the True Society of the Time.
Musk worked for Isaac Man’s direct choice with Trump, according to those with debate knowledge. Trump is said to have postponed the choice to Musk, claiming he has knowledge of space due to his success with SpaceX.
Before the Commerce Committee, no major speed bumps occurred at Isaacman’s nomination hearing in April. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who leads the committee, has granted Isaacman the goals Congress has set for NASA, particularly the goal of the Artemis program returning to the month in the coming years.
Sen. Edward Markey, a Democrat of Massachusetts, noted the close relationship between Isaacman and his company and Musk. He asked several times if Musk was in María Lago when Trump offered Isakuman the NASA status. Isaacman did not reply directly. He only repeatedly said that his interviews had been with Trump.
Cruz and other Republicans on the committee voted to advance the nomination, as did four Democrats, including Washington’s Sen. Maria Cantwell, as well as four Democrats, including the top Democrats on the panel.
On Saturday, the allies began publicly defending Isaacman, attempting to change the president’s mind about withdrawing nominations.
His advocates included Laura Rumer, a far-right activist who is often critical of other Trump candidates with a history of supporting Democrats. She posted a lengthy message on Xacaacman’s impending deletion as a “deep state” plot to undermine the president.
Some Republican lawmakers were also linked to Isakuman’s defense on Saturday. Montana Sen. Tim Sheehee, a Trump ally who serves the committee that approved Isaacman’s appointment, posted to X, “It was a powerful choice for astronauts and successful businessman @rookisaacman to lead NASA.”
“I was proud to introduce Jared to him at his hearing,” Sheehee added.
Original issue: May 31, 2025, 6:12pm EDT
