Some Trump administration officers, together with at the White House, have expressed frustration with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in current weeks as inside wrangling over who will lead NASA spilled into public view, two sources aware of the matter informed NCS.
Duffy, who additionally at the moment serves as NASA’s acting administrator, has stated privately that he want to not solely maintain the house chief title completely, but in addition fold NASA into the Department of Transportation, one supply informed NCS.
Duffy now has competitors as Jared Isaacman – the Elon Musk-associate whose nomination for the place was pulled by Trump earlier this 12 months – has re-emerged as a candidate for the top job at NASA.
The abrupt withdrawal of Isaacman left a nasty style within the mouths of many inside the White House, who pointed fingers at a top Trump aide for convincing the president that Isaacman’s previous democratic donations disqualified him as the nominee.
That frustration solely grew when the choice appeared to ignite a bitter and messy monthslong feud between Trump and billionaire Musk that dominated the information cycle for weeks.
Isaacman and Trump, nonetheless, reopened strains of communication over the summer season, and it quickly grew to become clear to officers, together with Duffy, that Isaacman was again within the combine to steer NASA.
Duffy, who has ruffled feathers inside the White House for going on to Trump, somewhat than by correct White House channels, recommended to the president that he be a part of the hiring course of for the NASA administrator position.
Duffy and a number of other of his DOT advisers, interviewed Isaacman on October 13 for the job. Duffy has performed different interviews as properly, nonetheless, within the eyes of White House officers, Isaacman has remained the frontrunner.
“(Trump) likes (Duffy). He’s not going anywhere,” the official stated, whereas noting the public spectacle over the NASA job has been a headache for some administration officers. Another supply stated that the president was praising Duffy privately to advisers whereas touring in Asia.
Isaacman has courted the president as properly, making high-dollar donations and attending fundraisers at the White House as just lately as this month, one supply stated. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the jockeying for the top NASA submit.
The inside battle got here into the highlight final week, as Musk got involved, publicly sparring with Duffy about the way forward for NASA.
“Should someone whose biggest claim to fame is climbing trees be running America’s space program?” Musk wrote in a single social media submit on X. “Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA!” he stated in one other submit.
It got here after Duffy informed CNBC final week that he believes SpaceX, which has a $2.9 billion contract to supply the lunar lander astronauts would trip to the moon’s floor, is lagging delayed.
Trump was made conscious of the assaults on Duffy throughout his journey to Asia — solely commenting that he didn’t like Musk going after the transportation secretary.
White House officers stated that whereas the president would ultimately title a head of NASA, it wasn’t one thing that he was fixated on, making it unclear when it could finally occur.
“Secretary Duffy is a valuable member of President Trump’s team and he is doing a tremendous job leading the department of transportation, especially during this difficult time when Democrats have shut down the government and forced air traffic controllers to work without pay,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in an announcement.
NCS has reached out to the Department of Transportation for remark.