‘Prior Associations’ Cost Isaacman His Candidacy for NASA Administrator

President Donald Trump recently confirmed that the former pick to head NASA, Jared Isaacman, has been pulled from the running due to “a thorough review of prior associations.” He is expected to announce a new candidate shortly.

Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and two-time commercial spaceflight participant, was nominated in December 2024. Despite lacking any federal government experience, his role as the founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4 puts some leadership capability on his resume. He has also commanded private space missions, including SpaceX’s Inspiration4.

The nominee’s position looked pretty secure, with the vote to make the role official having been set for the week of June 3. On May 31, however, President Trump posted on social media that, “After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA. I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Isaacman, at least publicly, seemed to take the news well. He uploaded a gracious farewell message on X that thanked Trump and the Senate, praised the bipartisan support shown during his confirmation hearing, and expressed confidence in NASA’s future.

“The President, NASA and the American people deserve the very best--an Administrator ready to reorganize, rebuild and rally the best and brightest minds to deliver the world-changing headlines NASA was built to create,” he stated.

This latest development adds to a growing list of reversals and reshuffles in department heads during Trump’s second term. The current acting NASA Administrator is Janet Petro, who took Bill Nelson’s role on January 20. The head of the Federal Aviation Administration also remains up in the air, with Chris Rocheleau leading the agency for the time being.

FMI: www.nasa.gov