Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who is vying to lead NASA, has frustrated the White House with his tactics to secure the role.
The former reality television star, known for his flirtatious behavior on The Real World: Boston, has been serving as NASA’s acting administrator since July and has made clear that he wants the permanent role, sources revealed to CNN.
But Key MAGA voices are also turning on Duffy as the race to find a NASA chief intensifies.
According to CNN, many within the White House believed it was Duffy, 54, who convinced President Donald Trump to withdraw the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur, commercial astronaut, and friend of Elon Musk, for the position.
They say Duffy frustrated figures inside the White House by going directly to Trump.
Though originally hailing Isaacman, 42, as “ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new era,” Trump withdrew his nomination shortly before it was expected to be confirmed by the Senate, reportedly after learning that Isaacman had donated to prominent Democrats.
At the time of the withdrawal, Musk, 54, and Trump, 79, were in the midst of their feud, and Trump criticized his on-and-off billionaire friend on Truth Social for recommending Isaacman to lead NASA, despite him being a “blue-blooded Democrat.”
In October, as the NASA leadership contest intensified with Duffy’s interim role set to expire at the end of the year, MAGA voices called for Isaacman to return to the race. Trump had said at the start of Duffy’s interim position would be “a fantastic leader” of the space agency, even if for a short period of time.”
Both men have been competing to lead NASA and have contacted their allies in the Trump administration, including the president himself, with no clear timeline for when a decision will be made, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Duffy, who wants to fold NASA into the Department of Transportation, reportedly suggested to the president that he should be involved in the hiring process and interviewed Isaacman on Oct. 13 for the job.
The outlet also reported that Pete Meachum, Duffy’s chief of staff at the Transportation Department, had his industry contacts call White House officials to say that Isaacman had hired lobbyists and social-media influencers to bolster his bid for the NASA position.
“I don’t have any paid lobbyists or advocates, and I have never expressed confidence about a renomination at any point,” Isaacman said in a statement in response to the reports.
The Daily Beast contacted Meachum for comment, but received no immediate response.
A White House official told CNN that the spectacle over the NASA job has been a headache for some administration officials.
The internal battle gained public attention after Musk ranted about the acting administration of NASA on X, following Duffy’s remarks to CNBC that he would allow “other space companies [to] compete with SpaceX” so NASA could reach the moon “in this president’s term.”
“Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA!” Musk posted on X, replying to a post about Duffy’s alleged plans to fold the agency into the Department of Transportation.
According to White House officials, the president is not fixated on naming a NASA leader and, during his trip to Asia, expressed that he didn’t appreciate Musk going after Duffy.
A source close to the White House told NOTUS that “Sean [Duffy] has overplayed his hand,” while dealing with the West Wing and the adminsitration during the NASA leadership contest.
“He has spent the last couple of weeks being a cowboy, and it’s caught up to him,” the source added.
The Daily Beast contacted the Department of Transportation for comment on the claims against the secretary but received no immediate response.
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