Days before an expected Senate confirmation to the role, Trump has pulled the rug on Elon Musk’s pick to become the next administrator of NASA after being told the nominee had donated to prominent Democrats in the past.
Bringing to NASA Jared Isaacman, 42, a billionaire entrepreneur and pilot who had flown to space twice with Musk’s SpaceX program, was one of Musk’s biggest benefits he had pulled off. Isaacman had also donated $2 million to the Trump inaugural committee.
Trump made the comments on Saturday, but had informed Isaacman on Friday, the day Elon Musk was “leaving” his White House role.
Trump apparently only recently found out that Isaacman had donated to Democrats, including Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and former Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, as well as the California Democratic Party, during the past two campaign cycles.
The Trump administration had intended to overhaul the human spaceflight program at NASA, ending programs intended to land astronauts back on the moon and adding money to send astronauts to Mars, a priority for Musk.
Right wing whack job Laura Loomer hailed the removal as a “Deep State” effort to undermine Trump.
