spacetoday.net: Isaacman links withdrawn NASA nomination to Trump-Musk fallout

Posted: Sat, Jun 7, 2025, 10:42 AM ET (1442 GMT)
Jared Isaacman says he thinks his nomination to be NASA administrator was pulled because of people in the Trump administration with "axes to grind" about Elon Musk. Speaking on a podcast published Wednesday, Isaacman said he wasn't given an explanation for President Trump's decision last week to withdraw the nomination other than the president "decided to go in a different direction." However, he backed claims that the move was made by people within the White House who had been at odds with Musk and were taking advantage of Musk's formal departure from government work. "I think the direction people are going, or thinking on this, seems to check out to me," he said. Isaacman said that, had he been confirmed as administrator, he would have sought to focus NASA on "needle-mover" programs that only NASA could do, while working to cut bureaucracy.