Isaacman Blames Withdrawal of NASA Chief Nomination on Retribution

White House says the private astronaut was removed from consideration due to past donations to Democratic causes.

Jack Daleo

Friday, June 06, 2025 at 06:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Jared Isaacman appears before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. [Courtesy: NASA/Bill Ingalls]

Key Takeaways:

Jared Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA was withdrawn by the White House, with Isaacman claiming the move was politically motivated by "axes to grind" and tied to Elon Musk's simultaneous departure from a government role.
President Trump stated the withdrawal was due to Isaacman's past political donations to Democrats and the administration's desire for a "mission-aligned," "America First" nominee, explicitly noting he wouldn't appoint a Democrat.
Isaacman countered that his donations were public knowledge and he leans right-wing, while the commercial aerospace industry had broadly supported his nomination as a dynamic leader despite his lack of government experience.

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Shift4 Payments founder and private astronaut Jared Isaacman believes “some people” within the White House “that had some axes to grind” are behind the surprising withdrawal of his nomination to lead NASA.

In April, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted 19-9 to send Isaacman’s nomination to the full chamber. His confirmation vote was expected to take place in the coming days. Despite some scrutiny from Democrats and a handful of Republicans—including the committee’s chairman, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas)—Isaacman had enjoyed broad support from the commercial aerospace industry, which viewed him as a dynamic and capable leader.