President Trump on Wednesday named Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the interim leader of NASA after a previous nomination fell through, rupturing the relationship between Elon Musk and the president.
“He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time,” Mr. Trump said in a social media post announcing Mr. Duffy’s appointment.
Mr. Duffy, who will also keep his job at the Transportation Department, said on X that he was “honored to accept this mission.”
After Mr. Trump’s successful election campaign, to which Mr. Musk contributed more than $250 million, the president-elect picked Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and a close associate of Mr. Musk, to lead NASA.
Mr. Isaacman was Mr. Musk’s choice to lead the agency, and his appointment was seen as beneficial to SpaceX, Mr. Musk’s rocket company. SpaceX has multiple NASA contracts, which are crucial to its business, and Mr. Isaacman has twice gone to space as a private astronaut on SpaceX flights.
In a social media post announcing the nomination in December, Mr. Trump praised Mr. Isaacman as an exceptional leader with a passion for space.
On May 31, the day after Mr. Musk left his government position, Mr. Trump announced that he had withdrawn Mr. Isaacman’s nomination, citing “a thorough review of prior associations.” The president had been informed that Mr. Isaacman had donated to Democrats in the past, and considered that unacceptable.
While the relationship between Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk had already been deteriorating, the withdrawal of Mr. Isaacman’s nomination pushed it toward a total breakdown.
Mr. Trump said this week that it would have been inappropriate for Mr. Isaacman to lead NASA because of his friendship with Mr. Musk and SpaceX’s business with the agency.
The administration is yet to announce its next choice for NASA administrator.
“Short of a new nominee, this was a great move,” Mr. Isaacman said on Thursday after Mr. Duffy’s interim position was announced. “NASA needs political leadership from someone the President trusts and has confidence in.”
As the caretaker head of NASA, Mr. Duffy would also become the latest Trump official to hold multiple jobs in the administration. Others include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has three additional jobs, and Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general who is also the acting Librarian of Congress.
Mr. Duffy will replace Janet Petro, a veteran NASA executive, who was appointed acting head of the agency by the Trump administration in January.
Qasim Nauman is a Times editor in Seoul, covering breaking news from around the world.
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