EXCLUSIVE: White House Sources Say Elon’s NASA Pick Was Doomed From The Start

White House sources tell the Daily Caller that the administration did not pull Jared Isaacman’s nomination to be administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as retaliation against Elon Musk. Instead, the sources claimed, Isaacman never should’ve been chosen in the first place due to his history of supporting Democrats and other left-wing causes like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

Three senior White House officials said that there was deep skepticism within the administration of Isaacman when Musk first floated his name to lead NASA.

Isaacman has donated money to a litany of Democrats, including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, Montana Sen. Jon Tester, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, as well as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the California and Pennsylvania Democratic Parties. The donations total hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years, according to Federal Election Commission records.

“Trump did the right thing by pulling him,” one official told the Caller. “We don’t confirm Schumer donors in this administration.”

Isaacman’s nomination being pulled was cited as the final straw for Musk before he decided to publicly blow up on Trump and the administration, officials told the Caller on Thursday. After days of railing against Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” Musk accused Trump of being in the Jeffrey Epstein files. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: White House Insiders Vent On Big Beautiful Breakup, Reveal Elon’s Final Straw) 

Musk lobbied hard for Isaacman and the commercial astronaut seemed like he would sail through his Senate confirmation. However, when the Senate put Isaacman’s name on the schedule for a floor vote just a few days after Musk left the administration, the nomination received new scrutiny.

“It has nothing to do with Musk,” another source said. “The timing was pure coincidence because the Senate scheduled his vote.” 

The officials noted that Isaacman would have been a black spot on an administration otherwise filled with Republican Trump supporters or, at least, individuals like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who backed the president prior to the election. Isaacman, in contrast, offered only tepid well wishes to Trump after his November victory, according to his X account. (RELATED: Trump To Ditch His Tesla After Elon Brouhaha) 

There were also concerns within the administration that Isaacman’s past support of DEI initiatives and other left-wing social policies could taint NASA and prevent the space program from becoming more mission-aligned under Trump.

“I am confident that @inspiration4x will reflect the diversity that exists here on Earth up in Space!” Isaacman tweeted in 2021.

I couldn’t agree more. I am confident that @inspiration4x will reflect the diversity that exists here on Earth up in Space!

— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) February 2, 2021

Isaacman also posted a President John F. Kennedy quote about making the world “safe for diversity” in response to a message from President Joe Biden after the murder conviction of police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd.

https://t.co/6NSCgq4UXI pic.twitter.com/3xtTjZt3M2

— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) April 21, 2021

“He’s not a one-of-a-kind candidate and you earn the right to these jobs by being bright and capable, yes, but also by aligning with the president’s agenda,” a senior administration official said of Isaacman’s qualifications to lead NASA. 

Trepidation for Isaacman’s nomination existed on Capitol Hill as well. Three sources familiar told the Caller that members of Congress were rankled that Isaacman gave donations to their opponents yet was being rewarded with a high-level White House job.

Republican Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy ran against incumbent Democrat Jon Tester, who received financial backing from Isaacman. Despite feeling unsettled by the pick, sources say, Sheehy bit the bullet and provided Isaacman with a glowing introductory speech ahead of his confirmation hearing.

Astronaut and successful businessman @RookIsaacman was a strong choice by President Trump to lead NASA. I was proud to introduce Jared at his hearing and strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination. https://t.co/ZWGvyI0NYd

— Tim Sheehy (@TimSheehyMT) May 31, 2025

Sheehy later felt “blindsided” by Isaacman’s nomination being pulled, despite the fact that he never should’ve been put in that position to begin with, the sources argued.

The White House is also pushing back on claims of retaliation against Musk — claims echoed publicly by Isaacman — by pointing out that a number of other Musk picks for high-level White House positions were accepted by the administration and are still in the process of being confirmed. One senior administration official said Musk got to choose the secretary of the Air Force, the head of the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Office of Personnel and Management.

“It’s not some grand conspiracy,” one official claimed.

Musk was denied his choices to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS), sources told the Caller.

Musk had an ongoing feud with the Director of the Presidential Personnel Office (PPO) Sergio Gor, according to the Caller’s report. The pair would regularly argue about who would staff the administration, with Gor frustrated that Musk was trying to usurp his role. Those sentiments were shared by other White House officials who felt Musk regularly overstepped boundaries and was trying to serve as co-president with Trump.

Isaacman has recently tried to downplay the role his nomination being pulled had on Musk’s blowup and called for “reconciliation” between the Tesla founder and Trump. Trump, however, said Friday he is not yet interested in a patch-up phone call with Musk.