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President Donald Trump has once again tapped tech billionaire and private astronaut Jared Isaacman to run NASA—reversing his own decision from earlier this year. The renewed nomination comes months after Trump pulled Isaacman’s name over concerns about his past political donations.
Isaacman, who leads payment-tech company Shift4 and has flown multiple missions with SpaceX, was previously flagged by Trump as having deeper Democratic ties than expected. Isaacman maintains he is “relatively apolitical” and had fully disclosed his donation history during the vetting process.
The billionaire has enjoyed strong backing from Elon Musk, with whom he has a long professional relationship through SpaceX. Trump and Musk, who had a public falling-out earlier this year, have recently patched things up—removing a key obstacle from Isaacman’s path.
Announcing the re-nomination on Truth Social, Trump praised Isaacman as a “visionary pilot and explorer” capable of pushing NASA into a new era of space leadership. Isaacman responded with thanks to the president and the space community, promising to live up to the trust placed in him.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has been acting administrator, earned Trump’s commendation for doing an “incredible job” steering NASA during the interim.
With committee approval already in the bag from earlier this year, Isaacman now heads toward another full Senate vote—this time with momentum back on his side.
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