White House says it will announce new pick for NASA chief

Jared Isaacman testifies during a Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on April 9. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images via CNN Newsource

The White House said Saturday it will announce a replacement candidate to serve as U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to lead NASA, indicating it will withdraw the nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman.

“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,” White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston 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.”

The move comes just days before the Senate was expected to vote on Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA.

Isaacman, who has twice traveled to space on private missions and has close ties to SpaceX chief Elon Musk, sent shock waves through the space community when Trump first tapped him for NASA administrator in December, CNN previously reported.

Isaacman’s appointment was also met with broad support in the space community, which viewed him as a passionate leader, and his spaceflight experience was considered a bonus. Isaacman, the CEO of payments platform company Shift4, was viewed with deep skepticism by Democratic lawmakers concerned he would use his position at NASA to advance Musk’s personal interests.

The reasons behind Trump’s sudden reversal were not clear. During Isaacman’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in April, he signaled he would back an effort to land humans on Mars. The remarks were notable because NASA has been squarely focused on the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon, since Trump’s first term.

Only since Musk became a close Trump ally in 2024 has the president vocalized an interest in human exploration of Mars, which has been Musk’s longtime goal.

Isaacman signaled during the April confirmation hearing that he hoped to back both the Artemis program’s underlying goals as well as “prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars.”

“Along the way (to Mars), we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic and national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface,” Isaacman said.

CNN has reached out to Isaacman for comment. NASA referred inquiries to the White House.

Musk, who led the Department of Government Efficiency as Trump’s “first buddy,” departed the administration this week. The tech billionaire, who had recently publicly disagreed with Trump, said he’ll “remain a friend and adviser” to the president.

Musk promised to refocus on SpaceX and Starship, the gargantuan rocket system that he hopes will be capable of carrying convoys of humans to Mars. Still in the early stages of development, Starship prototypes have lost control and exploded during three test flights this year, includes one on Tuesday.

Semafor was first to report that the White House was likely to pull Isaacman’s nomination.