President Donald Trump renominated Jared Isaacman to serve as administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), he announced on Truth Social Tuesday evening.
The move comes months after Trump unexpectedly withdrew Isaacman’s nomination.
“This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA,” Trump wrote in his post. He praised Isaacman’s “passion for space” and “dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration.”
Trump offered no reason for the renomination.
President Trump initially nominated Isaacman back in December 2024, in a Truth Social post similarly touting Isaacman as a “accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut.” Isaacman’s original nomination cleared a Senate committee in late April and was days away from a full Senate vote when Trump withdrew it on May 31.
At that time, Trump said he would “soon” nominate a replacement, but no new nominee was ever announced.
In July, the White House appointed Sean Duffy, secretary of transportation, as acting administrator. Duffy replaced Janet Petro, director of the Kennedy Space Center, who served as acting administrator since January.
In his latest post, Trump thanked Duffy for his service but did not indicate whether Duffy would remain in the position while the Senate considers Isaacman’s nomination, a process that could take months.
Duffy responded to the announcement on social media: “Thank you @realDonaldTrump for the honor to lead @NASA. We’ve made giant leaps in our mission to return to the Moon before China. It’s critical for our national security and national pride that we win the next space race. Congratulations to @rookisaacman. I wish him all the success and will ensure the transition is seamless.”
At his April confirmation hearing, Isaacman stressed that NASA could advance moon and Mars exploration simultaneously, accelerating the moon-to-Mars timeline rather than choosing one over the other. Isaacman framed this dual approach as a way to inspire the next generation, build critical infrastructure on the moon, and position the U.S. to lead in human space exploration, even as some lawmakers urged caution over shifting priorities and potential funding challenges.