Nearly a full year into President Donald Trump’s roller-coaster second term, there are still some key positions that need to be filled in his administration.
And it’s certainly not for lack of trying.
One of the positions that Trump has been trying to fill has been that of a new NASA chief.
Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman is now the nominee — and it’s been a bumpy road.
As CNN reported, Trump has tapped Isaacman (again) after the president had previously scuttled the nomination.
The president had nothing but glowing things to say about Isaacman when making this announcement on Truth Social:
Donald J. Trump Truth Social 11.04.25 05:42 PM EST
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,…
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) November 4, 2025
“Sean Duffy has done an incredible job as Interim Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),” Trump began. “This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA.
Is this a good decision by Trump?
“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!”
Isaacman has been to space twice via SpaceX and is an associate of Elon Musk’s — which is what caused the initial drama in June.
Trump had previously tapped Isaacman to lead NASA earlier this year, but abruptly pulled that nomination following a very public and heated spat with Musk. Isaacman had already had a Senate confirmation hearing lined up when the nomination was pulled.
According to Axios, Isaacman handled that sudden rug pull with aplomb, which may have played a role in his renomination.
“Isaacman took the bad news with grace and stayed in touch with the president’s team,” Axios reports. “He even gave $1 million to Trump’s fundraising operation months later without bringing up the NASA post, an insider said.”
“Jared was a total class act because he is one,” an insider told Axios.
And being “a total class act” had apparently won Isaacman some powerful friends in the White House.
Axios noted that despite Trump reneging on the initial nomination, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Vice President J.D. Vance “continued to advocate for Isaacman behind the scenes.”
That advocacy appears to have worked, as Isaacman will now get (a second) chance to be confirmed by the Senate.
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