Elon Musk’s NASA hopes revived as Jared Isaacman presses Trump in private talks

Elon Musk’s stalled NASA ambitions are not over, as Jared Isaacman is now pressing Donald Trump to revive his nomination to lead the U.S. space agency, according to CNBC.

Trump, who had once pulled the plug on the pick after a public fight with Musk and resistance inside his own administration, is again weighing the possibility after meeting Jared several times in recent weeks.

Two men close to the story confirm Trump and Jared spoke face-to-face in September at a White House dinner for technology leaders, though Elon notably did not show up.

The conversations did not stop there, as Bloomberg reported that Trump and Jared also held more private meetings to discuss what kind of future the space program should have under his watch.

Trump dropped Jared after clashes with Elon

Trump’s problem with the plan started back in June. After a heated back-and-forth with Elon over government spending, Trump posted on Truth Social: “I also thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon’s corporate life.” He also called Jared a “blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before.”

That same month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned the White House about the nomination because of Jared’s financial ties to Elon’s company, as Shift4, the payments company Jared owns had invested $27.5 million into SpaceX.

Because of that, Elon got into a heated argument with Scott that allegedly ended in the latter punching the former right on his face.

Shortly after Elon’s very public breakup with Trump, the president named Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy interim head of NASA.

So all of this naturally ended Jared’s official nomination, which was first submitted in December. He then stepped down from his role as CEO at Shift4, choosing to stay on only as executive chairman. In a letter to investors, Jared admitted the failed nomination was not easy but added: “Even knowing the outcome, I would do it all over again.”

To his credit, Jared has credentials Trump apparently cannot ignore, having personally flew on two private space missions with SpaceX, one in 2021 and another in 2024, making him one of the very few non-government astronauts with real flight experience.

Budget cuts, staff losses, and Elon’s security clearance fight

While the nomination drama happens, Trump has also been pushing forward his plan to shrink NASA, as his federal budget proposal includes cutting more than $6 billion from the agency.

Elon’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative (nicknamed DOGE) forced changes that cost the agency roughly 4,000 staff members, or one-fifth of its total workforce of 18,000.

NASA’s operations have also been battered by the government shutdown in October. The agency kept exceptions in place only for missions connected to SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. That meant Elon’s rockets and projects still had workers on duty while other operations froze.

Elon also faces another fight outside of budgets and staffing. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote ordered the government to release information about what kinds of security clearances Elon has. The case was brought by The New York Times against the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency after it refused to provide records under the Freedom of Information Act.

Judge Cote wrote: “The public has an interest in knowing whether the leader of SpaceX and Starlink holds the appropriate security clearances.” She ruled that Elon’s role as a “special government employee,” combined with his own public statements, outweighed arguments about privacy.

The court pointed to a February post where Elon told millions of users: “I’ve had a top secret clearance for many years and have clearances that themselves are classified.” Judge Cote also pointed to Elon’s previous public comments about drug use, specifically in 2023 when he admitted to using ketamine, a federally controlled substance, and again in 2024 when he acknowledged that after smoking marijuana on a podcast, NASA imposed regular drug testing on him. “Musk’s numerous public statements regarding his own drug use and contacts with foreign leaders only enhance the public interest in disclosure,” Cote added.

The judge gave the government until October 17 to propose redactions to the clearance documents. The ruling is the latest legal question tied to Elon’s controversial run inside the Trump White House, which ended in May.

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