
Trump says Transportation Secretary Duffy will also be the interim head of NASA
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Trump names U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as interim NASA administrator
President Donald Trump has named U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as NASA’s interim administrator. Duffy, the former Wisconsin congressman, posted on X that he’s honored to accept the mission. President Trump previously named billionaire Jared Isaacman to be NASA’s chief, but he pulled the nomination in May. ‘I will not be surrendering him’: Wallaby owner fights to keep pet.
President Donald Trump has named U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as NASA’s interim administrator.
Duffy, the former Wisconsin congressman, posted on X that he’s honored to accept the mission.
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🚀 Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let’s launch. 🇺🇸🛰️ pic.twitter.com/ZBoEgPnwz4 — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 10, 2025
President Trump previously named billionaire Jared Isaacman to be NASA’s chief, but he pulled the nomination in May.
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Trump Names Musk Foe Interim Head of NASA After Ditching Billionaire’s Ally for Role
President Donald Trump appointed Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy the interim administrator of NASA on Wednesday. Duffy clashed with Musk during the SpaceX CEO’s time in the Trump administration. The appointment of Duffy is yet another blow to Musk in his ongoing feud with Trump. Musk left the administration in May after Trump withdrew his nomination of Jared Isaacman to be the new NASA administrator. Musk has since threatened to launch a rival political party and blasted Trump’s former relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He has also blasted DOGE for cutting air traffic controllers in the wake of a string of plane crashes. Duffy succeeds Janet Petro, who had served as the acting NASA administrator since January.
“I am pleased to announce that I am directing our GREAT Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to be Interim Administrator of NASA,” wrote Trump in a Truth Social post. “Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country’s Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems, while at the same time rebuilding our roads and bridges, making them efficient, and beautiful, again. He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time. Congratulations, and thank you, Sean!”
Duffy succeeds Janet Petro, who had served as the acting administrator of NASA since Trump’s inauguration in January and quickly brought an end to DEI programs at the agency.
The appointment of Duffy – who repeatedly clashed with Musk during the SpaceX CEO’s time in the Trump administration –serves as yet another blow to Musk in his ongoing feud with Trump.
During a White House meeting in March, Duffy reportedly clashed with Musk after complaining that Musk’s DOGE team “was trying to lay off air traffic controllers,” despite a string of recent plane crashes.
“I have multiple plane crashes to deal with now, and your people want me to fire air traffic controllers?” Duffy reportedly remarked. Musk responded by calling the assertion a “lie.”
In April, Duffy also took a swipe at DOGE’s cuts during a press conference.
“I want to talk about DOGE for a second, okay?” he said. “Do I want to make our government more efficient? Do I want to be able to do a little more with a little less because then I put more money into the great work that we do? Yeah, I want to do that. But you can’t do that without good people, right?”
He continued, “And so, though I want us to be more efficient, I also look, and as I think of DOGE cutting things, I don’t know about that elsewhere, but we actually build things here, right? You can’t cut your way to a new road, you can’t cut your way to a new bridge, you can’t cut your way into a new air traffic control system. So we’re actually going to build in this department.”
Trump has previously nominated Musk ally Jared Isaacman to serve as his administrator of NASA. However, as Musk left the administration in May, Trump suddenly withdrew the nomination.
This withdrawal of Isaacman’s nomination was reportedly the “final straw” for Musk, who became one of Trump’s most vocal critics just days after leaving the administration. Musk has since blasted Trump’s former relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and threatened to launch a rival political party.
Trump’s Tariff Deadline Looms: Latest Updates
Brazil’s president called out Trump’s attempts to exert power over the Brazilian legal system. Trump earlier in the day said his proposed tariffs are a result of the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who allegedly attempted a coup. Trump also called out “censorship” of U.S. social media platforms.
Trump earlier in the day said in a letter that his proposed tariffs, which would go into effect Aug. 1 if a trade deal is not reached, are a result of the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who allegedly attempted a coup. Trump also called out “censorship” of U.S. social media platforms, presumably referring to the time a Brazilian judge temporarily blocked Elon Musk’s X in the country during a dispute over violent disinformation on the platform.
“In Brazil, freedom of expression must not be confused with aggression or violent practices. All companies—whether domestic or foreign—must comply with Brazilian law in order to operate within our territory,” said Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
He added that there is no trade deficit between Brazil and the U.S. — and that Brazil would respond to any tariffs with tariffs of its own.
“Sovereignty, respect and the unwavering defense of the interests of the Brazilian people are the values that guide our relationship with the world,” he said.
Trump picks Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to lead NASA for now, after pulling Musk-backed nominee
Sean Duffy will temporarily lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 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. NASA is currently led by Janet Petro, who has served as the agency’s acting administrator since the start of Mr. Donald Trump’s term. The agency is aiming to return astronauts to the moon and, eventually, land humans on Mars for the first time ever in the next few years. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Duffy’s role in the NASA transition.
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 the administration’s cost-cutter-in-chief by 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.
contributed to this report.
Who is Sean Duffy, the unexpected choice for NASA’s interim administrator?
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to serve as the interim administrator of NASA. Duffy will temporarily take over the post that has been in the spotlight due to Trump’s feud with billionaire Elon Musk, who backed Jared Isaacman. Duffy’s resume includes stints as a lumberjack athlete, reality TV star, prosecutor and Fox News host. He was one of several Fox personalities that Trump chose to fill his Cabinet, including Pete Hegseth, the new defense secretary. He has nine children, the youngest of whom was born with a heart condition.
Trump made the announcement Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, saying Duffy will be “a fantastic leader of the ever-more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time.”
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Trump withdrew Isaacman’s nomination in May, citing a review of his “prior associations.” Duffy will temporarily take over the post that has been in the spotlight due to Trump’s feud with billionaire Elon Musk, who backed Isaacman.
A former Republican congressman from Wisconsin, Duffy’s resume includes stints as a lumberjack athlete, reality TV star, prosecutor and Fox News host.
He was featured on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston” in 1997 and met his his wife, “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy, on the set of MTV’s “Road Rules: All Stars” in 1998.
Duffy later worked as a special prosecutor and the district attorney of Ashland County in northern Wisconsin. He won election to Congress as part of the tea party wave in 2010.
FROM UNDERDOG TO POLITICAL FIGURE
When he first ran for Congress, Duffy was considered an underdog. But he attracted national attention with his campaign ads, which featured him dramatically chopping wood while donning a red flannel shirt. He told voters he came from a “long line of lumberjacks” and would bring his axe to Washington.
Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years. He was a member of the Financial Services Committee and chair of the subcommittee on insurance and housing.
After leaving Congress in 2019, citing the need to care for his growing family, Duffy became a contributor to Fox News and one of Trump’s most visible defenders on cable television. He served as co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business before being picked for the new administration.
He was one of several Fox personalities that Trump chose to fill his Cabinet, including Pete Hegseth, the new defense secretary.
Duffy has nine children, the youngest of whom was born with a heart condition.
This follows reports that the administration plans to cut over 2,100 senior NASA staff through early retirements, buyouts, and delayed resignations, aligning with Trump’s announcement.
– Ends
With inputs from Agencies
Published By: Satyam Singh Published On: Jul 10, 2025
Source: https://www.axios.com/2025/07/10/trump-duffy-transportation-nasa