Jared Isaacman testifies during a Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on April 9, 2025.
The White House announced Saturday its intention to name a new candidate for President Donald Trump’s NASA Administrator pick, signaling the withdrawal of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman’s nomination.
White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston stated, “The NASA Administrator will be instrumental in guiding humanity into space and fulfilling President Trump’s ambitious objective of planting the American flag on the planet Mars. It is imperative that NASA’s next leader fully aligns with President Trump’s America First agenda, and a replacement will be personally announced by President Trump in the near future.”
The move occurred mere days before the Senate was slated to vote on Isaacman’s nomination to head NASA. Isaacman, who possesses dual private spaceflight experiences and maintains close connections with SpaceX chief Elon Musk, generated considerable discussion within the space community when his selection for NASA administrator was initially announced by Trump in December, according to prior CNN reports. Despite widespread endorsement from the space community, who regarded him as an enthusiastic leader with valuable spaceflight expertise, Democratic lawmakers harbored profound reservations, fearing he would exploit his position at NASA to promote Musk’s individual interests.
The reasons behind Trump’s sudden reversal were not clear. During Isaacman’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in April, he signaled he would back an effort to land humans on Mars. The remarks were notable because NASA has been squarely focused on the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon, since Trump’s first term.
Only since Musk became a close Trump ally in 2024 has the president vocalized an interest in human exploration of Mars, which has been Musk’s longtime goal.
Isaacman signaled during the April confirmation hearing that he hoped to back both the Artemis program’s underlying goals as well as “prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars.”
“En route to Mars, we’ll undoubtedly gain the capabilities needed to revisit the Moon and assess the scientific, economic, and national security advantages of establishing a sustained lunar presence,” Isaacman stated.
CNN has sought comment from Isaacman. NASA directed all inquiries to the White House.
Musk, who previously headed the Department of Government Efficiency as Trump’s “first buddy,” resigned from the administration this week. The tech billionaire, despite recent public disagreements with Trump, affirmed he would “remain a friend and adviser” to the President.
Musk pledged to rededicate his efforts to SpaceX and Starship, the colossal rocket system he envisions transporting human convoys to Mars. Still in its early development stages, Starship prototypes have lost control and exploded in three test flights this year, including one on Tuesday.
Semafor was the initial outlet to report the White House’s probable withdrawal of Isaacman’s nomination.
