Trump/Musk feud June 2025: spaceflight implications

[unclemortynom]

Isaacman's recent posts on X resemble those of a person that thinks that he still has a political future in the Republican party. I am still hoping that this detente leads to Trump rethinking his position. Perhaps that Vance can play a role in this, who knows?

I for one would be over the moon ecstatic should that happen AND Mr. Isaacman stepped back into the position.

Can we stop bringing him up we already locked one thread. Does anyone else care what he has to say? He is irrelevant to space and NASA now. He has 0 influence there besides buying a seat on Spacex awhile back. Would anyone at NASA even listen to him? My bet not due to his sudden rejection and loss of nomination.

Read his wiki page and figure it out if you want to dive into it, anything more said will be deleted. He is from a bygon era that is way past expiration.

Space has no price. It is for the pursuit of peaceful discovery.

[Robotbeat]

I guess we’re trying to get this thread locked, aren’t we?

Jared is an influential figure (bought and flew 2 dedicated Dragon missions, including the first with the SpaceX EVA suit), will remain so (probably will return to fly two more SpaceX missions), and I don’t see what the point of engaging in (ignorant) character assassination every time he comes up. Play the ball, not the man.

[jstrotha0975]

MAGA Republican here, I'm up to giving Jared a shot.

[DaveS]

I guess we’re trying to get this thread locked, aren’t we?

Jared is an influential figure (bought and flew 2 dedicated Dragon missions, including the first with the SpaceX EVA suit), will remain so (probably will return to fly two more SpaceX missions), and I don’t see what the point of engaging in (ignorant) character assassination every time he comes up. Play the ball, not the man.

What is the difference between Isaacman and other astronauts like Richard Truly, John Glenn and Charlie Bolden? Admittedly, Glenn was never proposed as a NASA administrator but the other two I think the consensus on them are "awful". And both of them have far more time in NASA and the space business than Isaacman and yet they accomplished nothing of significance.

[Robotbeat]

I guess we’re trying to get this thread locked, aren’t we?

Jared is an influential figure (bought and flew 2 dedicated Dragon missions, including the first with the SpaceX EVA suit), will remain so (probably will return to fly two more SpaceX missions), and I don’t see what the point of engaging in (ignorant) character assassination every time he comes up. Play the ball, not the man.

What is the difference between Isaacman and other astronauts like Richard Truly, John Glenn and Charlie Bolden? Admittedly, Glenn was never proposed as a NASA administrator but the other two I think the consensus on them are "awful". And both of them have far more time in NASA and the space business than Isaacman and yet they accomplished nothing of significance.

why are you trying to get this thread locked?

[DaveS]

I guess we’re trying to get this thread locked, aren’t we?

Jared is an influential figure (bought and flew 2 dedicated Dragon missions, including the first with the SpaceX EVA suit), will remain so (probably will return to fly two more SpaceX missions), and I don’t see what the point of engaging in (ignorant) character assassination every time he comes up. Play the ball, not the man.

What is the difference between Isaacman and other astronauts like Richard Truly, John Glenn and Charlie Bolden? Admittedly, Glenn was never proposed as a NASA administrator but the other two I think the consensus on them are "awful". And both of them have far more time in NASA and the space business than Isaacman and yet they accomplished nothing of significance.

why are you trying to get this thread locked?

Not trying to get the thread locked, just asked a question that is all. The administrator have far less power than you think. The most influential administrators have come from outside the aerospace field, just see Jim Webb for example. He spent decades accruing the political influence he used while at NASA. Isaacman has zero of that, beyond Musk who is now an outsider and not respected anymore in the political field, so he's spent.

NASA right now needs an administrator that knows where the political skeletons are buried so to say and can twist the right arms to get things moving. That is how politics works, by blackmail and not idealism.

[Robotbeat]

*previous thread locked*
*is warned against engaging in the same discussion that got it locked*
*proceeds to start an argument anyway*

& because silence can be misinterpreted as concurrence: Jared is just about the most perfect person you could get for the job. People are always willing to lie or exaggerate to torpedo a nominee. It’s kind of our job not to fall for it so easily as you are doing. Now enough about a topic that got another thread locked.

[edzieba]

Jared is just about the most perfect person you could get for the job

And is also no longer a candidate. His opinions on how to run NASA are no longer any more relevant than any other non-candidates.
Nothing to do with his character, he's just not going to be administrator.

[woods170]

I guess we’re trying to get this thread locked, aren’t we?

Jared is an influential figure (bought and flew 2 dedicated Dragon missions, including the first with the SpaceX EVA suit), will remain so (probably will return to fly two more SpaceX missions), and I don’t see what the point of engaging in (ignorant) character assassination every time he comes up. Play the ball, not the man.

What is the difference between Isaacman and other astronauts like Richard Truly, John Glenn and Charlie Bolden? Admittedly, Glenn was never proposed as a NASA administrator but the other two I think the consensus on them are "awful". And both of them have far more time in NASA and the space business than Isaacman and yet they accomplished nothing of significance.

why are you trying to get this thread locked?

Not trying to get the thread locked, just asked a question that is all. The administrator have far less power than you think. The most influential administrators have come from outside the aerospace field, just see Jim Webb for example. He spent decades accruing the political influence he used while at NASA. Isaacman has zero of that, beyond Musk who is now an outsider and not respected anymore in the political field, so he's spent.

NASA right now needs an administrator that knows where the political skeletons are buried so to say and can twist the right arms to get things moving. That is how politics works, by blackmail and not idealism.

Emphasis mine.

Exactly.
That politics works by blackmail instead of idealism, is a fact that, given some of the Isaacman-worshipping posts here, hasn't dawned on everyone here.
IMO Isaacman wouldn't have been able to get even 20% done of what he intended to accomplish. He lacks the political skills for it IMO.

[Robotbeat]

Jared is just about the most perfect person you could get for the job

And is also no longer a candidate. His opinions on how to run NASA are no longer any more relevant than any other non-candidates.
Nothing to do with his character, he's just not going to be administrator.

Which is another reason why I’m not sure people are STILL picking fights over this. What’s the point of dragging Jared through the mud any more?

[laszlo]

...NASA right now needs an administrator that knows where the political skeletons are buried so to say and can twist the right arms to get things moving. That is how politics works, by blackmail and not idealism.

Emphasis mine.

Exactly.
That politics works by blackmail instead of idealism, is a fact that, given some of the Isaacman-worshipping posts here, hasn't dawned on everyone here.
IMO Isaacman wouldn't have been able to get even 20% done of what he intended to accomplish. He lacks the political skills for it IMO.

That's a pretty cynical and negative point of view. Any evidence to support that? And before the mods' fingers get too twitchy, this is related to the topic because if true, it indicates the limits of what can be accomplished by any administrator as well as explaining some of the things that Musk was saying. It could have been an apparent to solidify his position in the context of blackmail so that his space-related goals could be achieved, rather than a childish and immature tantrum when his toys were taken away.

That said, in the past it wasn't all blackmail. It used to be open and aboveboard quid pro quo. Legislators would trade legislative components that benefited their constituents with each other - I'll support x dollars worth of farm subsidies in exchange for your support of a y dollar bridge expansion project in my district. Bills were bi-partisan, working across the aisle was not considered treason and there was no legislative deadlock. This was the environment when Kennedy, Johnson and Webb built NASA and executed Apollo. Rather than being better blackmailers, they were better deal makers with a better deal-making market. Unfortunately, some misguided reformers called it "pork" and shut the whole thing down, not realizing what the alternative would be.

[yg1968]

I guess we’re trying to get this thread locked, aren’t we?

Jared is an influential figure (bought and flew 2 dedicated Dragon missions, including the first with the SpaceX EVA suit), will remain so (probably will return to fly two more SpaceX missions), and I don’t see what the point of engaging in (ignorant) character assassination every time he comes up. Play the ball, not the man.

What is the difference between Isaacman and other astronauts like Richard Truly, John Glenn and Charlie Bolden? Admittedly, Glenn was never proposed as a NASA administrator but the other two I think the consensus on them are "awful". And both of them have far more time in NASA and the space business than Isaacman and yet they accomplished nothing of significance.

why are you trying to get this thread locked?

Not trying to get the thread locked, just asked a question that is all. The administrator have far less power than you think. The most influential administrators have come from outside the aerospace field, just see Jim Webb for example. He spent decades accruing the political influence he used while at NASA. Isaacman has zero of that, beyond Musk who is now an outsider and not respected anymore in the political field, so he's spent.

NASA right now needs an administrator that knows where the political skeletons are buried so to say and can twist the right arms to get things moving. That is how politics works, by blackmail and not idealism.

Emphasis mine.

Exactly.
That politics works by blackmail instead of idealism, is a fact that, given some of the Isaacman-worshipping posts here, hasn't dawned on everyone here.
IMO Isaacman wouldn't have been able to get even 20% done of what he intended to accomplish. He lacks the political skills for it IMO.

It's not blackmail, it's pork. Trump has had influence on his own party, so there is some hope that Trump might be able to convince Cruz and others to go against their natural-pork tendencies when it comes to SLS and Orion. Vance could also help with the National Space Council if he is committed to it which remains to be seen.

There are certain things that the executive can do on its own and Isaacman likely would have done that. Incidentally, 20% doesn't sound that bad... Politics is the art of the possible and not everything is possible. Representatives and Senators are hard to herd...

[clongton]

Politics is the art of the possible and not everything is possible. Representatives and Senators are hard to herd...

Kinda like trying to push a string lol.

[edzieba]

Trump has had influence on his own party, so there is some hope that Trump might be able to convince Cruz and others to go against their natural-pork tendencies when it comes to SLS and Orion.

The Trump-directed NASA cuts have been to kill science missions and keep SLS. That's not congress chasing pork, that's the document titled "PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FISCAL YEAR 2026 DISCRETIONARY FUNDING REQUEST".

[Robotbeat]

Trump has had influence on his own party, so there is some hope that Trump might be able to convince Cruz and others to go against their natural-pork tendencies when it comes to SLS and Orion.

The Trump-directed NASA cuts have been to kill science missions and keep SLS. That's not congress chasing pork, that's the document titled "PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FISCAL YEAR 2026 DISCRETIONARY FUNDING REQUEST".

the Trump budget request doesn’t keep SLS except for Artemis 2 and 3, and then it is cut. it’s the Senate that keeps SLS after that.

[yg1968]

“DC was an interesting sidequest, but gotta get back to the main quest, building technology.”

https://twitter.com/SawyerMerritt/status/1934788138750099636

[jongoff]

“DC was an interesting sidequest, but gotta get back to the main quest, building technology.”

https://twitter.com/SawyerMerritt/status/1934788138750099636

Good. I genuinely hope he's able to undo some of the damage he's done to SpaceX and Tesla over the last six months.

~Jon

[litton4]

“DC was an interesting sidequest, but gotta get back to the main quest, building technology.”

https://twitter.com/SawyerMerritt/status/1934788138750099636

Good. I genuinely hope he's able to undo some of the damage he's done to SpaceX and Tesla over the last six months.

~Jon

I'm sure that SpaceX will carry on doing great things as it has been recently - in any case, I thought Gwynne was calling the "Shots" at SpaceX these days (sorry for the pun...)

[woods170]

“DC was an interesting sidequest, but gotta get back to the main quest, building technology.”

https://twitter.com/SawyerMerritt/status/1934788138750099636

Good. I genuinely hope he's able to undo some of the damage he's done to SpaceX and Tesla over the last six months.

~Jon

I'm sure that SpaceX will carry on doing great things as it has been recently - in any case, I thought Gwynne was calling the "Shots" at SpaceX these days (sorry for the pun...)

Hardly.

Elon's is still the guy coming up with the impossible ideas and impossible deadlines. Gwynne's job is limited to running the show so that the impossible ideas become reality and the impossible deadlines merely become late.

[mn]

“DC was an interesting sidequest, but gotta get back to the main quest, building technology.”

https://twitter.com/SawyerMerritt/status/1934788138750099636

Good. I genuinely hope he's able to undo some of the damage he's done to SpaceX and Tesla over the last six months.

~Jon

I'm sure that SpaceX will carry on doing great things as it has been recently - in any case, I thought Gwynne was calling the "Shots" at SpaceX these days (sorry for the pun...)

"Anything you say can and will be used against you"

Gwynne maybe calling the shots but Elon's statements can and may very well be used against them next time SpaceX is competing for a NASA contract. Whether the statement will actually cause them to lose a contract depends less on reality and more on who is in charge and what team they are on (as in where their bread is buttered). Anyone who wants to take a contract away from SpaceX will just point to Elon's statements and cut 10 points from their suitability/reliability evaluation....

We don't know the  future and none of this may happen, but it is naive to think Elon didn't significantly hurt SpaceX