Donald Trump Withdraws Jared Isaacman's Nomination For NASA Administrator, Says New Nominee Would 'Put America First in Space'

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the withdrawal of Jared Isaacman's nomination for the NASA administrator job due to Isaacman's "prior associations."

What Happened: "After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Saturday.

The president then went on to say that he would announce a new nominee soon, who would be more "Mission aligned, and put America First in Space," Trump said.

source: Truth Social

Isaacman has donated to the Democratic Party in prior elections, as the data from the non-profit organization OpenSecrets showcases the Shift4 CEO donating to a candidate from the party. 

Why It Matters: The news comes in just days after billionaire Elon Musk's exit from the Trump administration's DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency. The president also hosted Musk at the White House.

Isaacman's withdrawal by Trump casts uncertainty over NASA's commitment to Mars exploration, something that Isaacman had doubled down on in the past and is a major target for Musk's SpaceX.

SpaceX recently held a test launch for its Starship rocket from a launch site in Texas. However, the launch failed as the rocket spun out of control 30 minutes into the mission after it was launched in suborbital space.

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