Trump picks Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to lead NASA for now

President Trump announced Wednesday that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will temporarily lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, weeks after Mr. Trump withdrew an Elon Musk-linked entrepreneur as his pick to lead the space agency.

The president praised Duffy in a Wednesday Truth Social post, writing: "He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time."

"Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let's launch," Duffy wrote on X.

NASA is currently led by Janet Petro, a former leader of the Kennedy Space Center who has served as the agency's acting administrator since the start of Mr. Trump's term. Petro's status is unclear; a NASA spokesperson said the agency had no further details.

Mr. Trump initially chose billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, but the president pulled his nomination just days before the Senate was set to hold a confirmation vote, citing a "thorough review of prior associations."

Last weekend, the president expanded on the issue, saying Isaacman was recommended to him by Musk "and, while I thought his friend was very good, I was surprised to learn that he was a blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before."

Federal Election Commission records show Isaacman has donated to Democratic congressional candidates and groups, though he has also given some money to Republicans.

"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," Mr. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post last weekend, referring to Musk's company SpaceX, which has NASA contracts.

Isaacman has previously flown on SpaceX rockets as a private astronaut. In a Monday post on X, Isaacman described himself as "relatively apolitical" and a "right-leaning moderate," and said he disclosed his political donations prior to his nomination. He also said he "only know[s] Elon professionally" and does not own any equity in SpaceX, but he has a "firsthand appreciation for what he and his companies have accomplished."

Days after Isaacman's nomination was pulled, a feud between Mr. Trump and Musk — a onetime Trump ally who served as a special government employee heading up the Department of Government Efficiency — burst into public view. The attacks between the president and the world's richest man have largely focused on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a massive spending package that Musk has criticized.

Duffy is temporarily taking over NASA at an important time for the agency, which is aiming to return astronauts to the moon and, eventually, land humans on Mars for the first time ever.

Duffy is the latest Trump administration official to serve in a dual-hatted role. Marco Rubio serves as both secretary of state and acting national security adviser, and is the acting head of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Miles Doran contributed to this report.