Trump pulls Musk associate's nomination for NASA administrator

• The announcement came days before Isaacman was expected to be confirmed by the Senate — and days after Musk announced his departure from the administration's Department of Government Efficiency.
• Isaacman had already been approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

Zoom in: Isaacman donated to Democrats as recently as 2024, records from nonprofit campaign finance tracker OpenSecrets show.

• The billionaire said during his confirmation hearing that he has been "relatively apolitical," CNN reported.

What he's saying: Isaacman, in a statement shared to X, said he'd continue "cheering on" Trump and NASA as "they lead us on the greatest adventure in human history."

• He wrote that "[i]t may not always be obvious through the discourse and turbulence, but there are many competent, dedicated people who love this country and care deeply about the mission."

By the numbers: The Trump administration's 2026 budget proposal would slash NASA's budget by around a quarter, among other pending cuts to science and tech agencies.

Friction point: The decision to oust Isaacman may not be well-received across the GOP.

• Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), responding to a post from Laura Loomer about plans to pull Isaacman's nomination, called the commercial astronaut a "strong choice" by Trump and said he would "strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination."

Go deeper: NASA eliminates chief scientist role, other offices