Who Is the Ex-NASA Nominee Pushed to Spotlight by Musk-Trump Spat

Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and formerly the nominee for President Donald Trump’s NASA Administrator, has received scrutiny over his past donations amid growing public tensions between Trump and Elon Musk. Trump highlighted Isaacman’s past donations—which include a $100,000 donation to the Democratic Senate Majority PAC in 2021—as the reason for pulling Isaacman’s nomination. In announcing the decision last week, Trump cited a “thorough review of prior associations” and said that he would nominate an individual who would put “America First in Space.” Isaacman had been suggested for the top space position by Musk, who heads SpaceX, the world’s most valuable private space company. Isaacman helmed several spaceflight missions operated SpaceX, including the 2021 Inspiration4 and the 2024 Polaris Dawn, where he participated in the first private spacewalk....