Trump taps Sean Duffy to serve as interim NASA chief
President Donald Trump on Wednesday released he is tapping Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to serve as interim administrator of NASA a move the president mentioned reflects the growing importance of space in national priorities I am pleased to announce that I am directing our GREAT Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to be Interim Administrator of NASA Trump posted to Truth Social He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more central Space Agency even if only for a short period of time The president praised Duffy s performance at the Department of Transportation calling his tenure TREMENDOUS and sharing his work on air traffic control modernization and infrastructure revival Rebuilding our roads and bridges making them efficient and beautiful again Trump wrote SNUB OF MUSK'S NASA NOMINEE ALLY PRECEDED SUDDEN 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL' CRITICISM TRUMP FEUDDuffy a former congressman from Wisconsin and longtime Trump ally accepted the role enthusiastically Honored to accept this mission Time to take over space Let s launch he wrote on X Duffy replaces Janet Petro who has served as acting NASA administrator since January Trump withdrew Jared Isaacman s nomination for the role in May TRUMP ADMIN PULLS JARED ISAACMAN'S NOMINATION FOR NASA ADMINISTRATOR REPLACEMENT TO BE REPORTED 'SOON'Isaacman a billionaire private astronaut and longtime associate of Elon Musk was nominated by Trump in December but faced mounting scrutiny over ties to Musk and SpaceX which specific leaders viewed as a conflict of interest According to The Associated Press Trump explained the decision to pull Isaacman s name came after a thorough review of prior associations and growing concern over corporate entanglements NASA has increasingly factored into the Trump administration s national defense innovation and economic agenda Trump has long emphasized the strategic importance of space launching the Space Force during his first term CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe White House did not at once respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment
