Who Is the Ex-NASA Nominee Pushed to Spotlight by Musk-Trump Spat

The president pulled Jared Isaacman’s nomination after a review of his ‘prior associations.’

Jared Isaacman leaves following a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee confirmation hearing in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on April 9, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and formerly the nominee for President Donald Trump’s NASA Administrator, has received scrutiny over his past donations amid growing public tensions between Trump and Elon Musk.

Trump highlighted Isaacman’s past donations—which include a $100,000 donation to the Democratic Senate Majority PAC in 2021—as the reason for pulling Isaacman’s nomination.

In announcing the decision last week, Trump cited a “thorough review of prior associations” and said that he would nominate an individual who would put “America First in Space.”

Isaacman had been suggested for the top space position by Musk, who heads SpaceX, the world’s most valuable private space company. Isaacman helmed several spaceflight missions operated by SpaceX, including the 2021 Inspiration4 and the 2024 Polaris Dawn, during which he participated in the first private spacewalk.

Isaacman accumulated his wealth through Shift4 Payments, the payment processing company he founded in his parents’ house at age 16. He is also the founder of Draken International, an aerospace defense contractor.

Trump has highlighted the fact that Musk knew Isaacman “very well,” but said that Isaacman was a “Democrat,” and that his nomination was “inappropriate.”

“He happened to be a Democrat—like, totally Democrat,” Trump said.

“I say, you know, look, we won. We get certain privileges, and one of the privileges is we don’t have to appoint a Democrat,” Trump told reporters last week.

The NASA logo in the Webb Auditorium at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2022. STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

A senior administration official told The Epoch Times, that Isaacman’s nomination wasn’t pulled because of Musk and that other administration officials and nominees suggested by Musk aren’t affected.

“Jared Isaacman should have never been picked,” said the senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

In a June 4 podcast interview, Isaacman brushed off the donations issue, saying “that was not a new development.” He instead suggested that somebody within the administration convinced Trump to nix his nomination because he was “a good, visible target.”

“I want to be overwhelmingly clear. I don’t fault the President at all. I fully support him,” Isaacman said.

Isaacman did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the U.S. Steel Corporation – Irvin Works in West Mifflin, Pa., on May 30, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Speaking of his nomination interview, he praised Trump for a depth of knowledge about the space program and China.

“The President was incredibly knowledgeable. I was impressed,” he said, noting they spoke a lot about the Chinese Air Force.

After leaving the Trump administration as a special employee last week, Musk has criticized the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the president endorsed, over its potential fiscal impact on the federal government, calling the tax and spending package an “abomination.”

Trump has since threatened to pull federal subsidies and contracts for Musk’s companies, saying it would be the “easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars.” Musk is the CEO of spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX and electric vehicle maker Tesla.