In a new twist within the MAGA movement, Laura Loomer has taken aim at Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, criticizing his reluctance to support an Elon Musk ally for the role of NASA administrator. Loomer, a prominent supporter of Donald Trump, is advocating for Jared Isaacman to be reconsidered for the position after his initial nomination was shelved earlier this year amid tensions between Musk and Trump. Duffy, who is currently serving as the interim head, reportedly has ambitions to continue in the role, with discussions of potentially integrating NASA into the Department of Transportation, according to Politico.

Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and commercial astronaut, has garnered support from influential figures such as Montana Senator Tim Sheehy and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who are campaigning for his return to the nomination process. Loomer has voiced her disappointment with Duffy, whom Musk recently derided as “Sean Dummy” for not backing his ally. Loomer argues that without Isaacman’s leadership, the United States risks falling behind China in the space race. She remarked, “That’s what happens when you appoint a reality TV star as the Department of Transportation secretary.” Duffy’s rise to fame began in the 1990s on MTV’s The Real World, which eventually led to a decade-long political career in Congress. The Daily Mail has sought comments from the Department of Transportation regarding these developments.

NASA has acknowledged that Duffy floated the idea of moving NASA under the Department of Transportation’s wing, though not necessarily with him at the helm. A NASA spokesperson clarified, “Sean mentioned that NASA might benefit from being part of the Cabinet, possibly within the Department of Transportation, but he never expressed an intent to retain the position himself.” Meanwhile, the White House remains non-committal, stating merely that discussions about the NASA leadership are ongoing and President Biden has not yet reached a decision. Isaacman’s nomination was withdrawn in June following a “thorough review” of his past associations, as noted by Trump. Despite the setback, Isaacman remains closely linked to Musk, having been a significant customer of SpaceX since purchasing a chartered flight in 2021.

It was been heavily speculated that Sergio Gor, an official in the White House Presidential Personnel Office, pushed Isaacman out the door over disputes with Musk and failure to consult him and other personnel officials on some decisions. Speaking to the All-In Podcast following his exit, Isaacman said that he still supports President Trump but suggests the speculation is correct. ‘I mean, people can draw their own conclusions but I think the directions people are going in seems to check out to me,’ Isaacman said. He even suggested that it wasn’t personal between him and Trump, saying ‘one person decided to make a move’ to oust him.

Isaacman also believes the nomination was withdrawn to coincide with his friend Musk parting ways with the administration. ‘I had a pretty good idea, I don’t think the timing was much of a coincidence. Obviously, there was more than one departure that was covered on that day,’ he said. Isaacman blamed ‘some people’ with ‘axes to grind’ against either him or Musk, saying he was a ‘good, visible target.’ He described someone, presumably Gor, as ‘an influential advisor coming in and saying: ‘Here’s the facts and I think we gotta’ kill this guy.” ‘I want to be overwhelmingly clear: I don’t fault the president,’ Isaacman added.

The president maintains he backflipped on billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman’s appointment after learning of his past donations to the Democrats. But MAGA loyalists suspect Trump may have been set up to make the call by insiders who have it out for Elon Musk and are looking to hurt him by punishing his friend. Loomer wrote at the time: ‘There is reason to believe that Isaacman may be facing retaliation because of his friendship with Elon Musk. If so, this would suggest there is a coordinated hit job on Isaacman in an effort to damage ties between President Trump and Elon Musk before the 2026 midterms. Is President Trump aware of the ulterior motives by some individuals in the administration who have an interest in seeing Isaacman’s nomination pulled?’ The New York Times reported that Trump reportedly knew about Isaacman’s donations from the moment he chose to nominate him to run NASA.

Isaacman told All-In that he disclosed over the years he had donated to prominent Democrats, including in the past two campaign cycles. Musk has also donated to Democrats in the past, before going on to become the single largest benefactor to the MAGA movement during the last campaign in his push to see Trump return to the White House. Isaacman was selected by Trump at the height of his bromance with Musk, who has a long and storied connection with the fellow billionaire. It is understood that Musk lobbied for Isaacman’s appointment and that Trump deferred to the SpaceX founder for the final decision.

At the time, Trump described Isaacman as ‘an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot and astronaut.’ He had been approved by a Senate committee and was headed to a confirmation vote this week when Trump suddenly pulled his nomination. The president gave Musk a heads up on Friday – his last day at the White House – that he intended to do so. It is understood that some of Trump’s allies had been pressing him about Isaacman’s donations to the Democrats in recent days, prompting Trump to renege on his offer.

Loomer said despite his liberal ties, Isaacman was an ideal candidate to lead NASA, with ‘unmatched credentials.’ ‘Isaacman was on track to get over 70 Senate votes. So why the sudden reversal and talks to pull his nomination?’ she asked. ‘Because the Deep State doesn’t want President Trump to have allies like this in his administration.’ White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston pushed back against any suggestion that the decision was not Trump’s. ‘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,’ she said. ‘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.’