5 Months Later, Elon Wins The War Over NASA

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he is nominating Jared Isaacman for NASA administrator after previously withdrawing his nomination.

Trump previously nominated Elon Musk ally Isaacman for the position, but pulled him in May because of “prior associations.” Days later, Musk lashed out at Trump as he exited the administration, which insider sources told the Daily Caller was caused in part by Isaacman’s nomination being yanked. Trump nominated Isaacman again months later, after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy covered as interim administrator. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: White House Insiders Vent On Big Beautiful Breakup, Reveal Elon’s Final Straw)

“Sean Duffy has done an incredible job as Interim Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA,” Trump wrote in a TruthSocial post.

“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. Congratulations to Jared, his wife Monica, and their children, Mila and Liv. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the president added.

Following withdrawing Isaacman’s name in May, some blamed a top aide for convincing Trump to pull the nomination over the nominee’s past donations to Democrats, CNN reported.

Isaacman and Trump continued to talk over the summer, sources told CNN. Duffy wanted the role for himself and went directly to Trump about the job instead of traditional White House channels, which upset some staff, sources told the outlet. NASA and a spokesperson for Duffy denied the rumors.

Musk lashed out at Duffy in October, calling the Transportation Secretary “Sean Dummy” and accusing him of trying to ruin NASA in several posts on X.

Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA! https://t.co/cP0RxP09rt

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2025

Sean “Dangerously Stupid” Dummy.

The part in quotes is his call sign. Didn’t want to forget that.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2025

“Should someone whose biggest claim to fame is climbing trees be running America’s space program?” Musk posted in a X poll about Duffy who is a world champion lumberjack speed climber.