The next head of NASA will not be a close friend of Elon Musk and a SpaceX client. Jared Isaacman is no longer among the candidates for the position of CEO of the American space agency, by decision of the president himself. Donald Trump, who had nominated him in early December and was awaiting the green light from Congress to take office, has decided to sideline him. On Saturday, May 31, he declared:
"After a thorough review of his past associations, I hereby withdraw the nomination of Jared Isaacman to lead NASA." On his Truth Social platform, he added that he would announce "soon a new nominee who will be aligned with his mission and put America at the forefront in space." Earlier in the day, the White House had already announced Donald Trump's retraction, confirming the statements of the New York Times.
The facts that Jared Isaacman is accused of are political in nature. According to the American newspaper, Donald Trump could not bear to learn that the American billionaire, head of the payments company Shift4, had made donations to Democratic elected officials. There would therefore be no connection between the decision to remove the man from NASA and Elon Musk's departure as head of DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, founded last January.
Last year, Donald Trump's speech was quite different, as he declared, regarding Jared Isaacman: "I am delighted to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Jared will lead NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in space science, technology, and exploration."
Jared Isaacman, SpaceX, and Elon Musk
Jared Isaacman was, however, central to Elon Musk's strategy to make NASA a bigger customer of SpaceX. The businessman who was to become the head of the space agency has already completed two space missions with SpaceX, making him an astronaut, all the more prestigious since he funded the Polaris Dawn mission and was able to perform a spacewalk in an orbit very far from Earth. When he was nominated by President Trump in December 2024, Jared Isaacman's name sounded like the merger of SpaceX and NASA.
It's no surprise that on X, Elon Musk defended his favorite, following the announcement of his dismissal. He declared: "It's rare to find someone as competent and generous."
NASA has weakened since Donald Trump came to power. In addition to the departure of many employees, including chief scientist Katherine Calvin, the agency's 2026 budget is threatened, particularly its scientific branches. Jared Isaacman, who was still waiting for Congress to vote on his nomination at the end of April, didn't hesitate to criticize Elon Musk and Donald Trump for their decisions to cut budgets in order to gain the trust of elected officials. He took the opportunity to point out that the Moon was a priority, unlike Mars.
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