US President Donald Trump on Wednesday named Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to serve as interim head of NASA, weeks after withdrawing the nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, an ally of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
“I am pleased to announce that I am directing our GREAT Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to be Interim Administrator of NASA,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. He praised Duffy’s work on modernizing the country’s air traffic control system, adding, “He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time.”
On May 31, Trump had pulled his nomination of Jared Isaacman, who was the first private astronaut to conduct a spacewalk, to lead NASA. Isaacman, a 42-year-old online payments entrepreneur, had become a prominent figure in commercial spaceflight through his high-profile collaborations with Musk’s SpaceX.
Trump explained his decision regarding Isaacman on July 6, stating, “I was surprised to learn that he was a blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before.” He further added, “I also thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon’s corporate life.”
Musk, who is the world’s richest person, had a close working relationship with Trump, heading the cost-cutting “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE. However, the two later had a significant falling out over the president’s “big beautiful” domestic policy mega-bill.
*
Email *
Website
