Westfield Billionaire, Trump Nominee To Lead NASA

WESTFIELD, NJ — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has its new leader, and he's from New Jersey.

Jared Isaacman, the 42-year-old billionaire native of Westfield, was confirmed by the Senate as NASA administrator in a 67-30 vote on Wednesday. President Donald Trump nominated the private citizen explorer for a second time in November after he withdrew his candidacy in May.

Isaacman, a graduate of Wilson Elementary School, is the founder of payment processing service "Shift4 Payments" and has been to space twice during expeditions he privately funded along with SpaceX.

In September 2024, his private venture, the Polaris Program, flew an all-civilian crew into space where they became the first non-government astronauts to complete a spacewalk. Three years earlier, Isaacman commanded the first all-civilian crew into space and orbited Earth.

Along with attending Westfield Public Schools from kindergarten through sixth grade, he made a visit to his alma mater in 2022 when he talked to students at Wilson Elementary about his journey and how they, too, can achieve their dreams.

"We're going to go farther into space than humans have gone since we last walked on the Moon," Isaacman said. He pointed out that his projects were "designed to test technology required for future space missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond."

Isaacman was also given a ceremonial "key" to Wilson Elementary School during his visit.

Teachers at Wilson have since incorporated his space voyages into their course curriculum and had their students write fake dispatches to the Moon fueled with ideas on how Isaacman inspired them.

"Thank you for being an amazing role model and inspiring us to be the best we can be now and in the future," fifth grader Emilie Ancri told Isaacman during the visit.

The Road To Nomination

While Trump never relayed a concrete reason why Isaacman was removed from consideration on the first go around, he did face criticism in the Senate due to his close ties to Elon Musk at a time when Musk was on his way out of the White House as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

I am incredibly grateful to President Trump @POTUS, the Senate and all those who supported me throughout this journey. The past six months have been enlightening and, honestly, a bit thrilling. I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the…
— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) June 1, 2025

There were also reports that his past donations to Democrats may have caused Trump to balk at the nomination after he had said that "the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump's America First agenda."

In his original post on Truth Social in December 2024, Trump praised Isaacman during his nomination and said, "Jared will drive NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in space science, technology, and exploration."

NASA's previous full-time administrator, Bill Nelson, stepped down on the day of Trump's last inauguration on Jan. 20.

Isaacman's official swearing-in date is yet to be announced.

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