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The Brewing MAGA Brawl over NASA
“The fight isn’t just about NASA. It’s about a divide that we’ll see a lot more of in the coming months and years.” (Manuel Mazzanti/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A fight about who will lead the space agency is also a fight about Elon Musk and the tech bros who are at odds with Trump’s working-class base.
By Batya Ungar-Sargon
11.04.25 — U.S. Politics
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A fight over who will lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is revealing the latest fault lines in the MAGA movement—and where they might be drawn in 2028.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been doing double duty since July as the space agency’s interim administrator, after President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew Jared Isaacman’s nomination in May. Isaacman is a billionaire entrepreneur who commanded two flight missions for Elon Musk’s SpaceX and invested millions in the company, before divesting last year.

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Batya Ungar-Sargon
American Jew. Host of "Batya!" on @NewsNation, 7PM Saturday, 11AM Sunday. Author of Bad News, Second Class, and The Jews & the Left.
Tags:
Donald Trump
Space
Elon Musk
MAGA
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