President Donald Trump’s abrupt withdrawal of Jared Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA appears to have been a major turning point in his relationship with Elon Musk.
The decision followed Musk’s departure from a White House meeting on Friday and reportedly deepened tensions between the two men.
Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and pilot, had a close working relationship with Musk. He flew to space in 2024 aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule as part of Operation Polaris Dawn.
Although Isaacman had recently passed Senate committee approval in April, his nomination was suddenly rescinded by Trump over the weekend.
Concerns arose about Isaacman’s political affiliations, particularly past donations to Democratic candidates, including those who opposed Republican Senate contenders Tim Sheehy of Montana and Bernie Moreno of Ohio in 2024.
Trump advisor Sergio Gor, who oversees the White House personnel office, reportedly played a central role in the decision to revoke the nomination.
According to Axios, Gor presented Trump with a list of Isaacman’s past contributions to Democrats and expressed opposition to Musk’s influence on staffing decisions.
The relationship between Gor and Musk had reportedly been strained, and some officials believe Gor acted intentionally to undermine Musk’s recommendation, according to the Daily Mail.
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