Trump taps billionaire fintech CEO with SpaceX ties to head NASA

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Dec. 4 that Jared Isaacman, a billionaire fintech CEO, ace pilot, and the first person to bet on sports from outside the Earth’s atmosphere, would become the next commissioner of NASA, pending congressional approval. 

If appointed, Isaacman would become the 15th person to hold the top spot at NASA, following incumbent Bill Nelson, a long-time Florida Democrat. 

Isaacman currently serves as the CEO of Shift4, a payments facilitation and financial technology company boasting more than $260 billion processed annually and more than 200,000 clients. He’s also known for his deep ties to fellow technology mogul Elon Musk and commercial NASA partner SpaceX.

In 2021 Isaacson helped finance and was crew chief of the Inspiration4 mission, a private spaceflight using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience. He returned to space in September 2024 as commander of the Polaris Dawn mission where he became the first private citizen to perform a “spacewalk.”

NASA commissioner

Before his experience in space, Isaacman was a certified pilot on numerous civilian and military aircraft including jets. He also served as a member of an aeronautical stunt team, flying jet aircraft in trick formations. 

In the business world, Isaacman has a background in fintech and, as Trump referenced in his announcement on Truth Social, he co-founded and served as CEO of Draken International, a defense aerospace company and US Department of Defense contractor. 

“I am delighted to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration.”

Isaacman’s nomination comes amid a flurry of movement from the Trump transition team ahead of the president-elect retaking the White House in January. Alongside Isaacson’s presumptive appointment as the head of NASA, Trump also announced that he would seek to replace Securities and Exchange Commission head Gary Gensler with former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins, a pro-crypto nominee. 

Related: SEC Chair Gary Gensler to step down

Trump also reportedly chose University of Maryland finance professor Michael Faulkender as Deputy Secretary of the Treasury and has supposedly signaled his intent to float Florida Governor Ron Desantis as a replacement for Pete Hegseth who, until Dec. 4, was the presumptive nominee for Secretary of Defense. 

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