On Wednesday, July 9th, President Trump appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the acting administrator of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) until a new administrator is confirmed. Trump initially nominated commercial spaceflight pilot and entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who has a close relationship with Elon Musk, to be the NASA administrator. However, the nomination was abruptly withdrawn in May due to concerns over his ties with Musk.
Trump made the announcement of Duffy’s appointment on the social media platform Truth Social, praising Duffy for his excellent performance in handling transportation affairs and expressing confidence in his ability to lead NASA effectively in the short term.
“I am pleased to announce that I am appointing the outstanding Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to serve as the acting administrator of NASA. Sean has shown exceptional performance in handling transportation affairs in our country, including building the most advanced air traffic control system and rebuilding our roads and bridges to make American transportation efficient and beautiful again. Even in this temporary role, he will be an excellent leader for this increasingly important space agency,” said Trump.
Duffy later stated on X that he was honored to accept this mission and is ready to “take over space. Let’s launch.” He officially assumed the role of acting administrator starting from July 9th while continuing to serve as the Secretary of Transportation.
The White House did not provide a specific reason for withdrawing Isaacman’s nomination at the time, but Trump later mentioned that considering the commercial ties between Musk and NASA, the nomination of Isaacman as the administrator was “not appropriate.” Janet Petro was then appointed as the interim NASA administrator, but she was never formally confirmed as the administrator.
Isaacman, in a statement on X, emphasized that the President has the right to choose the team members he believes can best assist in governing. He expressed no personal regret about the withdrawn nomination and viewed being nominated by the President as an honor, cherishing the brief experience of being involved in politics. However, he lamented the fact that many senators and staff spent six months advocating for his nomination, only for it to end prematurely. The prolonged lack of a formal leader for NASA, possibly exceeding a year, is concerning for both NASA and the United States.
In response to concerns about potential conflicts of interest with Musk, Isaacman clarified that his relationship with Musk is strictly professional. While he has flown to space twice on SpaceX rockets and admires their achievements firsthand, he does not hold any shares in SpaceX or other aerospace or defense companies. He emphasized that, like other nominees, he has signed an ethics commitment form and will abide by relevant regulations.