Trump Re-Nominates Jared Isaacman for NASA Administrator

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been serving as the acting chief of the space program for the past several months.

Jared Isaacman (L) and Hayley Arceneaux (R) prepare to head to launchpad 39A for a launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Sept. 15, 2021. John Raoux/AP Photo

Trailblazing civilian astronaut Jared Isaacman is once again President Donald Trump’s choice for NASA’s administrator.

“This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA. Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era,” Trump said on Truth Social on Nov. 4. “Congratulations to Jared, his wife Monica, and their children, Mila and Liv.”

Originally selected to head America’s space program in December 2024, Isaacman’s consideration process advanced past the Senate committee hearings to be voted on by the entire upper chamber. However, that nomination was suddenly revoked on May 31 before lawmakers could make a decision.

The White House at the time suggested that Isaacman did not completely align with the administration’s agenda for space, particularly Trump’s ambitions to land on Mars.

“The administrator of NASA will help lead humanity into space and execute President Trump’s bold mission of planting the American flag on the planet Mars,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in an email to The Epoch Times.

“It’s essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump’s America First agenda, and a replacement will be announced directly by President Trump soon,” she continued.

Isaacman has accepted the new nomination.

“Thank you, Mr. President @POTUS, for this opportunity,” he said on X on Nov. 4. “It will be an honor to serve my country under your leadership. I am also very grateful to @SecDuffy, who skillfully oversees @NASA alongside his many other responsibilities.”

“To the innovators building the orbital economy, to the scientists pursuing breakthrough discoveries, and to dreamers across the world eager for a return to the Moon and the grand journey beyond—these are the most exciting times since the dawn of the space age—and I truly believe the future we have all been waiting for will soon become reality,” he continued. “And to the best and brightest at NASA, and to all the commercial and international partners, we have an extraordinary responsibility—but the clock is running.”

Isaacman added, “The journey is never easy, but it is time to inspire the world once again to achieve the near-impossible—to undertake and accomplish big, bold endeavors in space ... and when we do, we will make life better here at home and challenge the next generation to go even further.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been serving as acting administrator for the past several months, overseeing significant moments of NASA history, such as the unveiling of a new class of astronaut candidates and the increased possibility that signs of life may have been found on Mars.

Duffy has also emphasized that beating communist China to the moon is a top priority, and has stripped SpaceX of its previously guaranteed opportunity to provide the lunar landing spacecraft set to return American boots to its surface during Artemis III in 2027.

NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stephens confirmed that Duffy and Isaacman met on Oct. 13 leading up to the announcement.

Since that meeting, notable figures have spoken up on social media in support of Isaacman’s nomination, many pointing to his space experience, which includes undertaking the first-ever commercial spacewalk, as evidence.

“The support from the space-loving community has been overwhelming. I am not sure how I earned the trust of so many, but I will do everything I can to live up to those expectations,” he said.

Trump has praised Duffy’s work in his Truth Social post, saying he did “an incredible job” as interim administrator.