Trump names Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy interim NASA administrator

US President Donald Trump announced that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will head NASA on an interim basis. 

“I am pleased to announce that I am directing our GREAT Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to be Interim Administrator of NASA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“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,” the president said. “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 said he was “honored to accept this mission.” 

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 Trump's term, according to CBS News.

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,” CBS News reported.

Last weekend, the president expanded on the issue, saying Isaacman was recommended to him by Elon 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."

"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.