This Reality TV Star Will Now Head NASA As Interim Chief As Donald Trump Dumps Musk-Linked Nominee

President Donald Trump on Wednesday named Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the temporary head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), weeks after pulling back the nomination of a businessman with ties to Elon Musk for the same role.

Announcing the decision on his social media platform Truth Social, Mr. Trump wrote, “He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time.”

Responding on X, formerly Twitter, Duffy said he was “honored to accept this mission” and added, “Time to take over space. Let’s launch.”

Sean Duffy Picked Over Jared Isaacman

Trump had initially selected billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman to lead the space agency. However, just days before the Senate was scheduled to vote on Isaacman’s confirmation, the president rescinded the nomination. He cited a “thorough review of prior associations” as the reason for the withdrawal.

Expanding on the decision last weekend, Trump explained that Isaacman had been recommended by Elon Musk but turned out to have political leanings that raised concerns.

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“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,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

Records from the Federal Election Commission confirm that Isaacman has donated to Democratic congressional candidates and organizations, although he has also made some contributions to Republican causes.

From Reality TV to the White House: Who is Sean Duffy?

Sean Duffy is a former Republican congressman from Wisconsin, who brings different background to his new role at NASA. Before entering politics, Duffy worked as a competitive lumberjack athlete, then a reality television personality, prosecutor, and also a Fox News commentator.

In 1997, he appeared on MTV’s reality show “The Real World: Boston” and later met his future wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy, during the filming of “Road Rules: All Stars” in 1998.The two now a co-host of Fox News’ “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

Duffy also served as a special prosecutor and later as district attorney in Ashland County, located in northern Wisconsin. He successfully ran for Congress in 2010 during the Tea Party wave, campaigning as an underdog.

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