Following the failure of a prior nomination, which strained Elon Musk’s relationship with the president, President Trump on Wednesday appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the acting head of NASA.
Mr. Trump stated on social media when he announced Mr. Duffy’s selection that he would be an excellent leader of the increasingly significant Space Agency, even if only temporarily.
Mr. Duffy stated on X that he was honored to accept this task and that he will continue to work at the Transportation Department.
Jared Isaacman, a billionaire businessman and close friend of Mr. Musk, was chosen by the president-elect to head NASA following Mr. Trump’s victorious election campaign, to which Mr. Musk gave over $250 million.
Mr. Isaacman was chosen by Mr. Musk to head the agency, and SpaceX, his rocket company, benefited from his position. Mr. Isaacman has traveled to space twice as a private astronaut on SpaceX flights, and the company has several contracts with NASA that are essential to its operations.
Mr. Trump hailed Mr. Isaacman as a remarkable leader who has a deep love for space in a social media post announcing the selection in December.
Citing a careful examination of previous affiliations, Mr. Trump declared on May 31, the day after Mr. Musk resigned from his government post, that he had withdrawn Mr. Isaacman’s candidacy. After learning that Mr. Isaacman had previously made donations to Democrats, the president deemed this intolerable.
Although there had previously been a decline in the relationship between Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk, the removal of Mr. Isaacman’s candidacy caused it to completely collapse.
This week, Mr. Trump stated that Mr. Isaacman’s acquaintance with Mr. Musk and SpaceX’s business relationship with NASA would have made him unfit to run the agency.
The new NASA administrator has not yet been announced by the administration.
Following the announcement of Mr. Duffy’s temporary position, Mr. Isaacman commented on social media that this was an excellent step in the absence of a new candidate. NASA need political leadership from a person the president believes in and trusts.
Mr. Duffy would also become the most recent Trump official to serve in more than one position within the administration as the interim administrator of NASA. Others include Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general and acting librarian of Congress, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who holds three other positions.
The veteran NASA official Janet Petro, who was named acting head of the agency by the Trump administration in January, will be replaced by Mr. Duffy.