Donald Trump has appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the interim head of NASA, delivering a notable snub to his former ‘First Buddy,’ Elon Musk.
Duffy, who previously served as a Congressman from Wisconsin, will now lead the $25 billion space agency, succeeding Janet Petro, who has been in charge since the start of Trump’s presidency and was formerly a leader at the Kennedy Space Center.
The president praised Duffy on his Truth Social page Wednesday night, stating, ‘Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job managing our Country’s Transportation Affairs. He has been instrumental in creating state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems while simultaneously rebuilding our roads and bridges, making them efficient and beautiful once more.’
‘He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short amount of time. Congratulations, and thank you, Sean!’
Duffy graciously accepted the nomination, writing on X that he is ‘honored to accept this mission.
‘Time to take over space. Let’s launch,’ he posted.
The announcement came just weeks after Trump suddenly withdrew the nomination of Musk-backed entrepreneur and billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, citing his ‘prior associations.’
The decision angered Musk, whose SpaceX business does contract work for the space agency.
President Donald Trump announced his nominee to be the interim administrator of NASA on Wednesday
He tapped Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a former Congressman from Wisconsin, to oversee the $25 billion space agency
Trump touted Duffy’s work heading the Department of Transportation in his announcement on his Truth Social page
In explaining his decision to renege on Isaacman’s nomination, the president claimed that the billionaire was recommended to him by Musk ‘and while I thought his friend was very good, I was surprised to learn that he was a blue blooded Democrat who had never contributed to a Republican before.’
Federal Election Commission filings obtained by CBS News show Isaacman has donated to Democratic congressional candidates and groups – but has also given some money to the GOP.
The New York Times has also revealed that Trump reportedly knew about Isaacman’s donations from the moment he chose to nominate him to run NASA – fueling speculation that Isaacman’s ouster was more about the president’s growing feud with Musk.
Trump has even since admitted that he ‘thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon’s corporate life.’
Isaacman has been a close collaborator with Musk ever since buying his first chartered flight on Musk’s SpaceX company in 2021.
He was selected to head NASA during the height of Trump’s bromance with Musk, and when Trump selected Isaacman at his nominee, the president touted the billionaire as ‘an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot and astronaut.’
Isaacman was then approved by a Senate committee and was headed to a confirmation vote when Trump suddenly pulled his nomination amid Musk’s ouster from the White House.
The announcement came weeks after Trump suddenly withdrew the nomination of billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, citing his ‘prior associations’
Isaacman had been backed to lead the post by former First Buddy Elon Musk
Isaacman then took to X on Monday to ‘clarify’ some of the things that Trump has said about him, while noting that the ‘president is entitled to assemble the leadership team he believes will best serve his administration.’
The billionaire rocketman described himself in the lengthy post as ‘relatively apolitical’ and a ‘right-leaning moderate,’ and claimed he disclosed his ‘political donations across both parties (though 10x more to Republicans)’ before his nomination.
Isaacman went on to assert that he only knows Elon ‘professionally’ and does not own any equity in SpaceX, though he has a ‘firsthand appreciation for what he and his companies have accomplished’ after flying to space twice on SpaceX rockets.
‘Like all nominees, I signed an ethics letter and would have honored it,’ he wrote.
He added that his desire to lead NASA ‘was never about political ambition, personal gain or enriching others.
‘I love my country and I care deeply about America’s competitiveness and leadership in space.’
Following Trump’s appointment of Duffy on Wednesday, Isaacman called the appointment a ‘great move’ and wished the transportation secretary well.
‘NASA needs political leadership from someone the President trusts and has confidence in,’ he wrote on X.
