Tech billionaire Elon Musk took a swing at acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy on Tuesday, calling him “Sean Dummy” and saying he “is trying to kill NASA!”
Musk was replying to a post on the social platform X which described Wall Street Journal reporting about the Transportation secretary’s plans for NASA, which he is leading in a temporary capacity.
The Journal reported Monday there has been recent turmoil surrounding the leadership of NASA. Duffy has expressed interest in heading up NASA, sources told the outlet. Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who had his nomination to be NASA’s administrator withdrawn by President Trump earlier this year, has also expressed interest.
Advisers and lawmakers backing both Duffy and Isaacman reached out to Trump and members of his administration last weekend, pushing for their preferred candidate to head up NASA, sources told the Journal.
Isaacman’s nomination for NASA was pulled in May, with reporting indicating that the decision had at least something to do with the entrepreneur’s links to Musk, who recently had a notable public falling out with the president. Sergio Gor, the director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, reportedly also discovered that Isaacman had contributed to Democratic campaigns. Musk on Tuesday also shared an X post that said “lobbying against Jared Isaacman, literally the most qualified and best person to be the new head of NASA, is so dumb.”
Meanwhile, this is not the first time Musk has clashed with Duffy. The New York Times reported in March that the two argued during a Cabinet meeting over Department of Government Efficiency cuts related to the Federal Aviation Administration.
“The person responsible for America’s space program can’t have a 2 digit IQ,” Musk posted on X Tuesday, seemingly referring to Duffy.
The Hill has reached out to the Department of Transportation for comment.
