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President Donald Trump has withdrawn the NASA nomination of Jared Isaacman, a billionaire tech entrepreneur and private astronaut who has commanded and funded two SpaceX missions to Earth orbit, the White House has confirmed.
Isaacman's removal comes just days after Elon Musk's official departure from the White House, where the SpaceX CEO was serving in the role of a "special government employee" leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump said he would announce a new candidate soon. "After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA," the US president posted on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. "I will soon announce a new nominee who will be mission aligned and put America first in space," he said. The move came just days before the Senate was scheduled to vote on his confirmation, where he was widely expected to be approved. According to The New York Times, President Donald Trump had concerns about Isaacman's political loyalty. The news outlet reported that Trump was informed of Isaacman's donations to Democrats in the past two campaign cycles. "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," White House Assistant Press Secretary Liz Huston told Fox News Digital on Saturday. Isaacman, 42, said he was "incredibly grateful" to Trump and all those who supported me throughout this journey. "I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry," he posted on X. "It may not always be obvious through the discourse and turbulence, but there are many competent, dedicated people who love this country and care deeply about the mission." Meanwhile, Musk also took to X to post, "It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted." Trump announced his choice of Jared Isaacman in December, before the president's inauguration, and the nominee seemed poised to be confirmed by the US Congress. A US Congress Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted this April to advance his nomination to the full Senate for confirmation. Issacman had, in September last year, become the first private astronaut to perform a spacewalk after launching on a SpaceX rocket. Meanwhile, on May 30, the White House released its NASA budget request for the 2026 fiscal year. The documents propose a USD 6 billion budget cut for the agency, from USD 24.8 billion to USD 18.8 billion, with funding for NASA's science programs slashed by 47 per cent. It indicated that NASA's workforce would be reduced by nearly a third, for example, and dozens of the agency's science missions -- including the Juno Jupiter orbiter, New Horizons Pluto probe and a number of other spacecraft that are currently gathering data in deep space -- would be cancelled. (ANI)
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