Ed

Jared Isaacman was nominated by President Trump to become the 15th administrator of NASA in December. He passed out of the Senate committee in May and was set to be confirmed by the full Senate this week. However, on Friday, President Trump withdrew his nomination for Isaacman. We asked Jared to sit down with us for a conversation.

Jared Isaacman was nominated by President Trump to become the 15th administrator of NASA in December. He passed out of the Senate committee in May and was set to be confirmed by the full Senate this week. However, on Friday, President Trump withdrew his nomination for Isaacman. We asked Jared to sit down with us for a conversation.

We dive into everything, his experiences as a successful entrepreneur, fighter jet pilot, commander of the world's first all-civilian spaceflight, and the first civilian to conduct a spacewalk, what he saw in his six months studying NASA, how American government bureaucracy has eroded its performance and puts the nation at risk in the great space race underway with China.

We dive into everything, his experiences as a successful entrepreneur, fighter jet pilot, commander of the world's first all-civilian spaceflight, and the first civilian to conduct a spacewalk, what he saw in his six months studying NASA, how American government bureaucracy has eroded its performance and puts the nation at risk in the great space race underway with China.

And what really happened? Was it a discovery about prior donations to Democratic candidates or an association with Elon Musk that lost him the nomination? Here's my conversation with Jared Isaacman.

And what really happened? Was it a discovery about prior donations to Democratic candidates or an association with Elon Musk that lost him the nomination? Here's my conversation with Jared Isaacman.

Jared, welcome. I, like many space enthusiasts, was thrilled for your nomination to lead NASA as the 15th administrator of the agency. Founded in 1958, the year after the Russians put Sputnik into orbit, NASA's perhaps, in my opinion, the US government's most pioneering agency, having organized and led our exploration missions to the moon, Mars, the outer solar system, and beyond.

Jared, welcome. I, like many space enthusiasts, was thrilled for your nomination to lead NASA as the 15th administrator of the agency. Founded in 1958, the year after the Russians put Sputnik into orbit, NASA's perhaps, in my opinion, the US government's most pioneering agency, having organized and led our exploration missions to the moon, Mars, the outer solar system, and beyond.

as well as the launch of important scientific missions to observe the Earth, to observe our solar system and the deep universe, and of course, the installation and operation of the ISS. And you seemed really qualified for the job as a business manager, a successful entrepreneur, flight and space enthusiast.

as well as the launch of important scientific missions to observe the Earth, to observe our solar system and the deep universe, and of course, the installation and operation of the ISS. And you seemed really qualified for the job as a business manager, a successful entrepreneur, flight and space enthusiast.

So I'm really curious to hear your views on NASA, the space industry overall, the race with China, and frankly, hear a little bit about what the heck just happened with your nomination. A lot of people have a lot of questions that we'd love to hear your point of view on. So I thank you for joining me today, Jared.

So I'm really curious to hear your views on NASA, the space industry overall, the race with China, and frankly, hear a little bit about what the heck just happened with your nomination. A lot of people have a lot of questions that we'd love to hear your point of view on. So I thank you for joining me today, Jared.

What inspired you to get into space? You went to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and you later became an entrepreneur, but were you always kind of obsessed with space and did you always dream of doing what you got to do last year, which was walk in space?

What inspired you to get into space? You went to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and you later became an entrepreneur, but were you always kind of obsessed with space and did you always dream of doing what you got to do last year, which was walk in space?

So, I mean, I just showed it to my kids last week, by the way. So funny that you say that. I pulled up Space Camp. I had to buy it. Because it's not on any of the streaming services to show it to my kids. Yeah.

So, I mean, I just showed it to my kids last week, by the way. So funny that you say that. I pulled up Space Camp. I had to buy it. Because it's not on any of the streaming services to show it to my kids. Yeah.

So you were always into it. Is that what you wanted to do to work in aeronautical engineering or as a pilot or what were you thinking of doing?

So you were always into it. Is that what you wanted to do to work in aeronautical engineering or as a pilot or what were you thinking of doing?

So you're running this business. So Shift4, just for those who are listening, is a payment processing company that is a public company today, $8.5 billion market cap. So you've built an incredible business. And then on the side, my understanding is you've flown like 7,000 hours in fighter jets, and you've tried to beat the circumnavigation record a couple of times now. So were you kind of...

So you're running this business. So Shift4, just for those who are listening, is a payment processing company that is a public company today, $8.5 billion market cap. So you've built an incredible business. And then on the side, my understanding is you've flown like 7,000 hours in fighter jets, and you've tried to beat the circumnavigation record a couple of times now. So were you kind of...