President Donald Trump is nominating tech billionaire Jared Isaacman for a second time to function administrator of NASA, he introduced on social media Tuesday.
Isaacman, an Elon Musk affiliate who has twice traveled to house on non-public SpaceX missions, was tapped for the position earlier this yr earlier than Trump unexpectedly withdrew his nomination, citing a “thorough review of prior associations.”
“This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday. “Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era.”
NCS previously reported that Trump and Isaacman reopened traces of communication over the summer time and it quickly turned clear to officers that Isaacman was not solely again within the combine to lead NASA, however a frontrunner.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has served as NASA’s performing administrator, had stated privately that he would really like to maintain the house chief title completely and fold NASA into the Department of Transportation, one supply previously informed NCS.
A spokesperson for the secretary informed NCS he stated that “NASA might benefit from being part of the Cabinet, maybe even within the Department of Transportation,” however denied Duffy stated he wished to hold the NASA administrator job.
Trump on Tuesday stated, “Sean Duffy has done an incredible job as Interim Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,” as he introduced Isaacman’s nomination.
The abrupt withdrawal of Isaacman earlier this yr left a nasty style within the mouths of many inside the White House, with some pointing fingers at a prime Trump aide for convincing the president that Isaacman’s previous Democratic donations disqualified him.
That frustration solely grew when the choice appeared to ignite a messy monthslong feud between Trump and billionaire Musk.
This is a creating story and might be up to date.