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Trump renominates billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA
President Donald Trump has once again nominated Jared Isaacman, billionaire entrepreneur and private astronaut, to serve as the next administrator of NASA, months after withdrawing his original nomination earlier this year.
“Jared’s passion for space, astronaut experience, and dedication to exploration make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new era,” Trump said on Truth Social.
If confirmed by the Senate, Isaacman would succeed Sean Duffy, the Transportation Secretary currently serving as NASA’s interim chief.
Isaacman, 42, is the founder and CEO of the payment-processing company Shift4. While he has never worked for NASA or the government, he has flown to space twice on private SpaceX missions that he personally funded.
In a post on X, Isaacman expressed gratitude to Trump, saying:
“The support from the space-loving community has been overwhelming. I’ll do everything I can to live up to those expectations.”
He also acknowledged the challenges ahead as NASA faces an ambitious timeline to return astronauts to the Moon by 2027.
Isaacman’s nomination comes as NASA endures massive budget cuts and staff reductions, part of Trump’s broader plan to downsize the federal government. The agency has lost roughly 20% of its workforce, including over 2,000 senior employees, since Trump’s return to office.
The announcement also coincides with a renewed space race between the United States and China, as both nations compete to establish a permanent lunar presence.
Meanwhile, Trump’s decision comes two weeks after Elon Musk publicly clashed with acting NASA administrator Duffy over plans to open the Artemis moon lander contract—currently held by SpaceX—to other companies.