WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that he is withdrawing the nomination of Lehigh Valley tech billionaire Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, saying he reached the decision after a “thorough review” of Isaacman’s “prior associations.”
It was unclear what Trump meant and the White House did not immediately respond to an emailed request for an explanation.
“After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.”
Trump announced in December during the presidential transition that he had chosen Isaacman to be the space agency’s next administrator.
Isaacman, 42, who lives in Northampton County with his family, has been a close collaborator with Elon Musk ever since buying his first chartered flight on Musk’s SpaceX company in 2021.
He is the CEO and founder of Upper Saucon Township-based Shift4, a credit card processing company. He also bought a series of spaceflights from SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk. SpaceX has extensive contracts with NASA.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved Isaacman’s nomination in late April and a vote by the full Senate was expected soon.
Musk appeared to lament Trump’s decision after the news broke earlier Saturday, posting on the X site that, “It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted.”
SpaceX is owned by Musk, a Trump campaign contributor and adviser who announced this week that he is leaving the government after several months at the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Trump created the agency to slash the size of government and put Musk in charge.
Semafor was first to report that the White House had decided to pull Isaacman’s nomination.
In a memo to Shift4 employees in February, Isaacman said that after 26 years of leading the card-processing company, “the time has come for me to embark on a new journey.”
In the memo, he told employees said he would remain as CEO until he was confirmed by the Senate, at which point Shift4 would be run by an executive team led by company President and Chief Strategy Officer Taylor Lauber.
“I am proud to say Shift4’s leadership has never been stronger,” Isaacman said in the memo. “Taylor Lauber has been at the heart of our evolution, leading our IPO and Strategy, and navigating the opportunities and challenges of being a public company.
“I am confident that Taylor and the team will continue to execute our ambitious growth plans with precision and passion.”
Bloomberg estimated Isaacman’s stake in the company at $1.7 billion.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Heading to NASA, Jared Isaacman prepares to step back from his Lehigh Valley company
Source: Berkshire mont
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