Trump pulls NASA nomination of Jared Isaacman: Who will head NASA now?

In a surprising turn of events, President Donald Trump has withdrawn the nomination of billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. This decision comes just days before a scheduled Senate confirmation vote and raises questions about the administration's priorities and its approach to space exploration.Isaacman went through the hearing process with the Senate’s Commerce Committee last month, and the Senate Majority Leader, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, took action to have votes on his nomination take place as the Senate returns next week after the Memorial Day recess. The Commerce Committee voted on April 30 to advance Isaacman’s nomination to the full Senate.

Who is Jared Isaacman?

Jared Isaacman is the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, a payment processing company, and the founder of Draken International, which provides adversary training to U.S.

and allied air forces. He gained international attention as the commander of Inspiration4, the first all-civilian spaceflight, launched aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in September 2021. Isaacman is also slated to fly aboard SpaceX's Starship as part of the Polaris program, which aims to push the boundaries of human spaceflight.

The ‘controversial’ nomination:

Although Isaacman’s dismissal does come with an element of surprise, his nomination has been ‘questioned’ since its inception.

President Trump nominated Isaacman in December 2024, highlighting his entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to advancing space exploration. Isaacman was seen as a candidate who could bridge the gap between the public and private sectors in space endeavors.

However, critics were quick to point out his close ties with Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, a company with significant contracts with NASA. Isaacman's financial interest in SpaceX, through his company Shift4's investment in the company, raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.Further complications arose when it was revealed that Isaacman had made political donations to Democratic causes, including to Senator Mark Kelly and the California Democratic Party, despite also contributing $2 million to Trump's inaugural committee. This information reportedly led to President Trump reconsidering Isaacman's nomination.

The withdrawal

The White House confirmed the withdrawal of Isaacman's nomination, stating that the new NASA administrator must align fully with the "America First" agenda.According to The Independent, White House spokesperson Liz Huston told Semafor, “The Administrator of NASA will help lead humanity into space and execute President Trump’s bold mission of planting the American flag on the planet Mars. It’s essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump’s America First agenda.”

The decision to withdraw the nomination has been viewed by some as a retaliatory move against Elon Musk, who recently departed from the Trump administration.

Moreover, the timing of the withdrawal, following Musk's departure, has fueled speculation about the motivations behind the decision.

Who is the new pick?

As Isaacman's nomination has been scrapped, NASA, for the time being, will be led by Janet Petro, former Deputy Director of the Kennedy Space Center.Although President Trump is yet to announce his new pick for NASA, White House spokesperson Liz Huston told Semafor, as reported by The Independent, “A replacement will be announced directly by President Trump soon.”Until then, Petro will continue to serve as acting NASA administrator.