Musk praises 'competent and good-hearted' ally Jared Isaacman after Trump drops him as nominee to head NASA
President Donald Trump withdrew Jared Isaacman as his nominee to head NASA on Saturday.
Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut, is a close ally of Elon Musk.
Replying to the news on X, Musk wrote: "It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted."
Elon Musk has praised his close ally Jared Isaacman after President Donald Trump dropped him as his nominee for NASA administrator on Saturday.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was withdrawing Isaacman's nomination after a "thorough review of prior associations" and that he would soon announced a new, "mission aligned" nominee.
News of Trump's decision broke earlier in the day, and Musk was swift to respond.
"It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted," he wrote of Isaacman in a post on X.
Isaacman, the founder of payments company Shift4, was part of the SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew in 2024 and led the first private space walk.
In a social media statement Saturday, Isaacman said he was "incredibly grateful to President Trump" and "all those who supported me throughout this journey."
"I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry," he continued, adding: "I have not flown my last mission."
Trump had nominated Isaacman in December, calling him an "accomplished business leader" and saying he was "ideally suited to lead NASA" forward.
Isaacman's subsequent removal as nominee comes days after Musk said he was stepping back from his role as a "special government employee" in the Trump administration, ending his time with the White House DOGE office.
Trump's move appears to have come as a shock to supporters of Isaacman, with some experts questioning what it means for NASA.
Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said missing out on Isaacman was "bad news for the agency."
"So not having @rookisaacman as boss of NASA is bad news for the agency. Maybe a good thing for Jared himself though, since being NASA head right now is a bit of a Kobayashi Maru scenario," he wrote on X.
Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy also took to X to air his support for Isaacman, saying he was a "strong choice" to head NASA and that he "strongly" opposed any efforts to "derail his nomination."
Read the original article on Business Insider
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Screen Geek
14 minutes ago
- Screen Geek
Blake Lively Withdraws Claims Against Justin Baldoni Of Infliction Of Emotional Distress
Celebrities Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been caught in a legal debacle with one another since drama erupted on the set of It Ends With Us . Now another development in the situation has surfaced, as Lively is apparently in the process of withdrawing her claims against Baldoni regarding intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress. As shared via Variety, this decision was made when 'Baldoni's legal team sought discovery that included her medical records in their efforts to defend the ' It Ends With Us ' director against her claim that she suffered 'severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration and mental anguish.'' The outlet continues: 'Lively's attempt to withdraw the two claims surfaced in a filing Monday by Baldoni's attorneys, who are seeking to compel the actress to sign a HIPAA release for access to therapy notes and other relevant information.' The following statement was taken from the filing: 'Instead of complying with the Medical RFPs, Ms. Lively's counsel recently advised us, in writing, that Ms. Lively is withdrawing her [infliction of emotional distress] Claims ,' the filing states. 'However, Ms. Lively has refused the Wayfarer Parties' reasonable request that the withdrawal of such claims be with prejudice . She is only willing to withdraw her claims without prejudice. In other words, Ms. Lively wants to simultaneously: (a) refuse to disclose the information and documents needed to disprove that she suffered any emotional distress and/or that the Wayfarer Parties were the cause; and (b) maintain the right to re-file her IED Claims at an unknown time in this or some other court after the discovery window has closed.' A response to the matter was shared by Lively's lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, who further called the filing 'a press stunt.' The two added that there are actually 'streamlining and focusing' her case. The two shared the following statement insisting that 'Ms. Lively continues to allege emotional distress' as part of the ongoing debacle: 'The Baldoni-Wayfarer strategy of filing retaliatory claims has exposed them to expansive new damages claims under California law, rendering certain of Ms. Lively's original claims no longer necessary. Ms. Lively continues to allege emotional distress, as part of numerous other claims in her lawsuit, such as sexual harassment and retaliation, and massive additional compensatory damages on all of her claims.' As for the court's part in all this, they 'need to decide whether to compel Lively to turn over the information on her mental health, which she has sought to avoid, or dismiss the two claims with or without prejudice. 'It is standard procedure in cases alleging physical or emotional injury for the defense to access the plaintiff's medical records that would shine a light on the root and scope of alleged distress.' The outlet does note that it's 'unusual' in this case 'for a plaintiff to abandon the claims midstream given that it is well known heading into such a lawsuit that medical records will be an unpleasant but inevitable part of the discovery process.' The filing to Judge Liman in U.S. District Court Southern District of New York and signed by Baldoni attorney Kevin Fritz reads as follows: 'Ms. Lively cannot have it both ways. If Ms. Lively wants to withdraw her frivolous IED Claims, the Wayfarer Parties are entitled to a dismissal with prejudice to ensure they will not be re-filed. If Ms. Lively is unwilling to stipulate to the dismissal of her IED Claims with prejudice, then the Wayfarer Parties will continue to defend against them, and she must produce her medical information and documents as set forth herein.' It's clear that this legal situation will continue to become more complicated and complex as it progresses. With several related lawsuits in the process, and these latest developments, we'll have to see where this debacle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni heads next. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them.
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SpaceX will hit $15.5 billion in revenue this year, Elon Musk says
Elon Musk seems to think the sky isn't SpaceX's limit — and maybe not even its revenue ceiling. The CEO said on Tuesday that his company is on track to generate $15.5 billion in revenue in 2025, a leap from last year's estimated $11-13 billion. Musk posted SpaceX's revenue projections on X and added that, in 'perhaps an interesting milestone,' SpaceX's commercial revenue from space will exceed NASA's entire budget in 2026. The company will make about $1.1 billion alone through its work with NASA this year. SpaceX is one of the world's most valuable privately held companies, and its revenue is largely driven by two segments: its launch services and Starlink, its global satellite internet division. In February, Starlink claimed to have over five million customers worldwide; its base reportedly doubled from 2023 to 2024. Musk has said Starlink will go public once cash flow becomes more predictable — but hasn't specified when that might be. Meanwhile, SpaceX completed 134 launches in 2024 and is aiming for as many as 170 this year (it has already launched 62 times in 2025) — more than any other company or government space agency. Most of these are Falcon 9 missions, which have been used to deliver commercial satellites, government payloads, and NASA cargo. The rockets' reusability has been an advantage, and frequent launches have helped SpaceX secure a large share of the global market. But competitors such as Blue Origin and some international players are making progress, meaning the commercial launch market is getting more crowded. Much of the SpaceX's revenue is being plowed directly into the company's Starship program, which Musk sees as the key to interplanetary expansion — namely his plan to colonize Mars. Each Starship launch costs around estimated $100 million; Musk has said his goal is to lower that to around $10 million. But Starship has yet to demonstrate full mission success. A recent launch went father than ever before — but still ended with the rocket spinning out of control. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sign in to access your portfolio
Washington Post
15 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb's long journey back after a gruesome knee injury is almost over
PITTSBURGH — Cole Holcomb listened patiently and politely shook his head. No, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker isn't interested in reliving the gruesome knee injury that forced him to miss a season-and-a-half. Living through it once was punishment enough. Holcomb was chasing after wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a Thursday night game in November 2023 when a diving teammate slammed into Holcomb's left leg, shredding multiple ligaments in his knee. How bad was it? The Amazon Prime crew broadcasting the game showed it in slow motion once and decided that was enough.
