Senate confirms Jared Isaacman as NASA chief months after Trump-Musk rift that may have pulled his nomination

The Senate confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman Wednesday in a 67-30 vote to serve as NASA administrator, months after President Donald Trump withdrew the same nomination during his public feud with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

The confirmation places Isaacman, an investor in SpaceX and leader of two private spaceflight missions, at the helm of the nation’s space agency. Reuters reported that Isaacman becomes NASA’s 15th administrator and is known as an advocate of Mars missions.

Trump previously pulled Isaacman’s nomination in May, citing what he described at the time as "a thorough review of prior associations." 

Fox News Digital reported at the time that the decision was made amid escalating tensions between Trump and Musk, who had recently departed his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and publicly criticized Trump’s "One Big, Beautiful Bill."

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Isaacman later suggested the timing of the withdrawal was no coincidence. 

Speaking on the "All-In Podcast," he said, "I don’t need to play dumb on this. I don’t think that the timing was much of a coincidence." He added that "there were some people that had some axes to grind, I guess, and I was a good, visible target," Fox News Digital previously reported.

The nomination was revisited in the fall as relations between Trump and Musk appeared to thaw. In October, NASA officials confirmed Isaacman was again under consideration after meetings with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was tasked with vetting candidates for the permanent NASA role at Trump’s direction.

Trump formally renominated Isaacman in November, praising him in a social media post.

"Jared’s passion for Space, and his commitment to American Leadership in Space, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era," Trump wrote.

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Fox News Digital has extensively reported on the broader Trump-Musk feud that surrounded the nomination’s earlier withdrawal. In May and June, the two men publicly exchanged harsh words over Trump’s "One Big, Beautiful Bill." 

Musk accused Trump of pushing a "disgusting abomination," while Trump said Musk had gone "CRAZY" and was "wearing thin." 

Signs of reconciliation followed when Trump and Musk shook hands and spoke briefly at Charlie Kirk's memorial, with Trump later saying, "We had a little conversation. We had a very good relationship, but it was nice that he came over." 

Musk also attended a White House dinner hosted by Trump and appeared at other administration events.

Trump later teased Musk publicly, telling an audience, "You’re so lucky I’m with you, Elon. I’ll tell you. Has he ever thanked me properly?" 

Musk responded on X by saying, "I would like to thank President Trump for all he has done for America and the world."

Axios reported Tuesday that Musk has begun financially backing Republican House and Senate candidates ahead of the 2026 midterms, showing warming relations after what the outlet described as a "messy breakup" earlier this year. 

Politico similarly reported that Musk has said his relationship with Trump "went up in flames" in June but has since been rebuilt.

Isaacman’s confirmation brings that arc to a close, cementing his leadership role at NASA. 

Isaacman previously commanded Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit Earth, and later led the Polaris Dawn mission, both in partnership with SpaceX. 

The White House and representatives for Musk and Isaacman did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.