Reneé Rapp is one of the most technically skilled and expressive vocalists working today. No song from her sophomore album, "Bite Me," exemplifies this better than "I Think I Like You're Better When You're Gone," an R&B-inflected anthem for avoidant lovers everywhere.

If you like this, listen to: "Mad," "Why Is She Still Here?," "Shy"

"Cuntissimo," the third single from Marina's sixth album, "Princess of Power," is a welcome return to the pomp of her 2012 cult classic "Electra Heart," which satirized and subverted female archetypes ("Bubblegum Bitch," "Primadonna," "Homewrecker") to tell a story of rebellion and independence.

Thirteen years later, Marina still prefers to act up rather than settle down, and to counter patriarchy with pleasure.

In an internet era saturated with "manosphere" influencers and "trad wife" content, which often urges women to embrace homemaking and submit to their husbands, Marina's "Cuntissimo" is a much-needed dose of ostentatious girl power.

"So often, women don't think they're allowed to feel their sexuality in a way that doesn't involve how it looks for men. They feel that it's been co-opted," Marina said of the song, via Dork. "I would love to be able to free younger women of that, the feeling that our bodies don't quite belong to us."

If you like this, listen to: "Cupid's Girl," "Metallic Stallion," "I <3 You"

Tyler, the Creator had very clear objectives with his ninth studio album, "Don't Tap the Glass" — namely, to make people ditch their phones and dance. In the album's opening track, Tyler instructs the audience, "Body movement. No sitting still."

The very next song, "Sugar On My Tongue," is Tyler's vision fulfilled. I can't imagine anyone with sturdy feet and healthy knees being able to resist that beat.

If you like this, listen to: "Big Poe (feat. Sk8brd)," "Sucka Free," "Ring Ring Ring"

Joe Keery may star in one of Netflix's most popular shows ever (as the beloved Steve Harrington in "Stranger Things"), but if the quality of his music maintains its current trajectory, he'll be better known as a musician in no time.

This year, Keery released his third album, "The Crux," under his stage name Djo. It was led by the endearingly retro "Basic Being Basic," in which Keery makes the case for being earnest over trying to be cool.

The song toes the line between lecture and confession, while Keery's delivery alternates between monotone and falsetto. Here, as well as elsewhere in "The Crux," he's taking cues from frontmen like Matty Healy, Julian Casablancas, John McCrea, and Paul McCartney — but the result is a sound that's entirely his own.

If you like this, listen to: "Potion," "Delete Ya," "Charlie's Garden"

Justin Bieber is back, baby. "Daisies" is the infectious highlight from "Swag," Bieber's best album in a decade, and the song of the summer that got away.

If you like this, listen to: "Yukon," "Butterflies," "Walking Away"

In "Tears," the second single from Sabrina Carpenter's "Man's Best Friend," she takes a man to task — or, more accurately, modern men as a species — for how far underground the bar for seduction has sunk.

Her sarcastic fawning over the bare minimum ("A little respect for women can get you very, very far / Remembering how to use your phone gets me oh so, oh so, oh so hot!") is paired with irresistible disco-pop, making a strong case for Carpenter as Donna Summer's saucy offspring.

If you like this, listen to: "Manchild," "Nobody's Son," "House Tour"

Katseye, a six-piece girl group positioned as the first global K-pop phenomenon, enjoyed a mainstream breakout moment amid the great jeans war of 2025. The group went viral for dancing to "Milkshake" by Kelis in Gap's "Better in Denim" campaign, which the company's CEO touted as a financial boon and "cultural takeover."

The ad's success on social media showcased Katseye's zeitgeisty star power, but "Gabriela" proves the group has staying power as well. The top-40 single features a cowriting credit from Charli XCX, a juicy romantic rival motif à la Dolly Parton's "Jolene," a flamenco-inspired hook, and a bridge sung entirely in Spanish — a seemingly chaotic mix of elements somehow blended to perfection. "Gabriela" is one of the year's smoothest, most indelible pop songs, destined to soundtrack Katseye's ongoing rise to stardom.

If you like this, listen to: "Gameboy," "Mean Girls," "M.I.A"

Kevin Parker's fifth album as Tame Impala, "Deadbeat," was heavily inspired by the rave scene in Western Australia, a mood neatly summarized in its third single: "Run from the sunlight, Dracula." The album's narrator thrives in the shadowy, faceless corners of a dance floor.

Shortly after its September release, "Dracula" became the first Tame Impala song ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 — a shockingly overdue achievement, but one that "Dracula" earned with its sticky hook and party-ready production. Parker even told Apple Music's Zane Lowe that he wanted "Dracula" to sound "like a Max Martin song," referencing the legendary pop producer who's churned out more hits than anyone else in this century.

If you like this, listen to: "My Old Ways," "Loser," "Obsolete"

Justin Vernon said his acclaimed fifth album as Bon Iver, "Sable, Fable," took shape on the day he wrote "Everything Is Peaceful Love," a soft-rock ballad awash in the musician's signature falsetto.

"I knew what kind of record I wanted to make the day we made 'Everything Is Peaceful Love.' I always knew that would be the feeling I wanted to share first," Vernon said in a statement. "The idea that happiness and joy are the highest form and the true buoyancy of survival, and even taking yourself less seriously could heal the world."

If that claim sounds a bit starry-eyed, the song is sincere and soothing enough to almost make you believe it. "Everything Is Peaceful Love" is the sonic equivalent of taking a warm bath; whatever's going on above water level tends to melt away mercifully, if only for a few minutes.

If you like this, listen to: "Things Behind Things Behind Things," "Walk Home," "There's a Rhythmn"

It's tempting to attribute the success of "Sally, When the Wine Runs Out," a surprise hit from the deluxe version of Role Model's sophomore album, "Kansas Anymore," to a series of viral live renditions.

During early performances of the song, Role Model would invite fans onstage to play Sally during the song's chant-along bridge ("Heard through the grapevine, she can be a diva / Cold like Minnesota, hotter than a fever").

As the tradition gained traction on social media, Role Model began recruiting fellow musicians and celebrities to play the role. The prestigious list has grown to reflect his rising rank in Hollywood, featuring everyone from Olivia Rodrigo and Charli XCX to Kate Hudson and Natalie Portman.

It's the latest iteration of the special guest concert gimmick, following in the shrewd footsteps of Justin Bieber's "One Less Lonely Girl" serenades, MUNA's "Silk Chiffon" cameos, and, more recently, Sabrina Carpenter's "Juno" arrests. But the truth is, a concert gimmick only catches on if the song is actually good, and "Sally" is very good. It's annoyingly charming — easy to memorize and near impossible to shake off.

It has also become a career-shifting hit for Role Model, who was largely unknown just one year ago. Now, when he gets onstage, he greets his fans with a shriek-inducing, "Hey, divas," and they eat it up every time. Through his adoring lens, who wouldn't want to be Sally?

If you like this, listen to: "Look at That Woman," "Old Recliners," "Some Protector"

Raye has not misfired once since becoming an independent artist in 2021. Following last year's audacious single "Genesis," her latest offering is a gorgeous blend of humor, theatrics, and intimacy.

"Where Is My Husband!" feels like gossiping with friends over cocktails, in that it understands the joy of complaining and commiserating. Raye is tired of searching for her lifelong partner, a topic that many artists might plumb for a mournful ballad — but she refuses to succumb to dating doomerism.

Instead, Raye copes by cracking jokes and keeping her eyes on the prize, transforming her exasperated yearning into playful teasing ("Wait 'til I get my hands on him, I'ma tell him off too / For how long he kept me waiting"). She may be impatient, but she's far from hopeless.

If you like this, listen to: "Suzanne"

"Buckle" is the soft heart of Florence + The Machine's sixth album, "Everybody Scream." The track was cowritten by Florence Welch and Mitski, two women who are renowned for unspooling uncomfortable and raw truths in their music. Naturally, their team-up yielded an exquisite piece of lyricism.

While the bulk of "Everybody Scream" leans baroque and bombastic, with "Buckle," Welch and her co-producer, Aaron Dessner, smartly strip down the production. Backed by an acoustic guitar, Welch wrestles with degradation, desire, and the addictive cycle of rejection and resolution, interrupting her own spiral with a poignant wail: "Oh god, I thought I was too old for this."

If you like this, listen to: "One of the Greats," "Perfume and Milk," "Music by Men"

"It's a Mirror" by Perfume Genius, aka Mike Hadreas, sounds confident and robust, yet lyrically, the song is fearful and fragile. The narrator is trapped inside his home and inside his mind, terrified that real life is happening somewhere else out of reach. He peers out his window, but can't bring himself to leave.

Hadreas describes this threshold as a kind of portal, a thin barrier between safety and curiosity, akin to Lewis Carroll's famous looking glass. "It's a Mirror," indeed.

"It's a soup of all the things I was thinking about the last few years, the things I ended up talking about across the album," Hadreas told Stereogum of the song. "I like when things are loud, big, but the sentiment is what some people would think of as softer, more tender. That tension is satisfying to me."

If you like this, listen to: "Me & Angel," "Full On," "Capezio"

In between her third and fourth studio albums, "Eusexua" and "Eusexua Afterglow," FKA twigs released "Perfectly," a clubby ode to self-actualization.

Twigs gives herself — and, by extension, her listeners — free license to be messy, even a little delusional, especially if it means having more fun. "Inside my head, I have the best time," she sings, abolishing shame with a simple, elegant mantra.

If you like this, listen to: "Girl Feels Good," "Cheap Hotel," "Sushi"

Even on Taylor Swift's most divisive albums, her songwriting skill can't help but shine through.

Swift is a master at pairing her personal lyrics with mass-appeal-optimized melodies. Of course, it's true that popularity and profit don't always (or even usually) correlate with high quality. But it's also true that successful pop songwriting — communicating knotty emotions and layered narratives in a way that resonates with a large number of people — is terribly difficult. Swift just makes it look easy.

"Elizabeth Taylor" is one such example from Swift's extensive catalog, and the best from "The Life of a Showgirl."

Sure, "The Fate of Ophelia" is the album's major Billboard hit and "Opalite" is favored by TikTok choreographers, but "Elizabeth Taylor" has all the glamour, friction, lust, and drama that one should expect from a self-professed showgirl — the view of Portofino, the rustle of paparazzi, the buzz of a love affair that's about to hit the front page. The song's rich visuals and snappy one-liners ("They say I'm bad news, I just say, 'Thanks') are complemented by its lavish, orchestral-pop production. And don't even get me started on the beat drop in the chorus.

Swift and her coproducers, Max Martin and Shellback, went all out for this song, leaning into the extravagance that its namesake evokes — and thank goodness they did. Nonchalance has never been Swift's forté.

If you like this, listen to: "The Fate of Ophelia," "Opalite," "Father Figure"

Following the slow-burn success of her 2023 debut, "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess," Chappell Roan has maintained her grip on pop culture with a steady stream of singles: Last year's much-loved "Good Luck, Babe!" was followed by this year's one-two punch, "The Giver" and "The Subway."

The latter became Roan's first top-three hit on the Hot 100 and received two Grammy nominations, including record of the year. The song even sparked a tourism boom in Saskatchewan, the Canadian prairie province that Roan name-drops as her post-heartbreak contingency plan.

Each and every accolade, however wacky, is well deserved. "The Subway" is the kind of torch song that immediately sounds like a classic, at once fresh and familiar. Roan delivers each line with such passion, such palpable yearning, that every time she reaches the anthemic outro ("She's got a way, she's got a way / And she got, she got away"), no matter where I am, I'm seized by an urge to sway a lighter in the air.

If you like this, listen to: "The Giver"

"Relationships" was the first taste of Haim's fourth album, "I Quit," which both laments and celebrates single womanhood.

This ambivalence is presented frankly in the lead single. "I think I'm in love, but I can't stand fucking relationships," Danielle, the band's lead vocalist and middle sister, repeats throughout the song.

In the outro, the qualifying phrase changes shape ("I think I'm in love, but I can't stand communicating it," "I think I'm in love, so why am I trying to escape from it?"), teasing out shades of annoyance, exhaustion, panic, and avoidance as her relationship collapses. At the root of it all, the singer is plagued by a gut feeling that something isn't quite right — that there's something that love can't overcome.

The song offers no sense of resolve or resolution, and its circular logic is mirrored in the fuzzy, funky production. I could ask myself the titular question over and over without reaching any conclusions, just as no amount of replaying this song seems to satisfy me.

If you like this, listen to: "All Over Me," "Down to Be Wrong," "Everybody's Trying to Figure Me Out"

Olivia Dean's breezy, soulful breakthrough single serves as a balm for the rejection-filled world of modern dating.

Journalists, podcasters, and psychologists alike are tripping over each other to diagnose and cure the woes of modern courtship. This very list features a variety of reactions and coping mechanisms: Marina refuses to sacrifice her independence, Sabrina Carpenter openly mocks her suitors, and Raye opts for restless optimism.

Meanwhile, Dean has a cleaner approach: "We could be nice to each other."

Even as she's realistic about the challenges and miseries that accompany desire, and even though she doesn't want a boyfriend (a fact she proudly declares in the song's third verse), Dean is resolutely hopeful about our capacity for kindness, about the tenderness required for true human connection. Her lyrics suggest there are no road maps, no easy answers, and certainly no guarantees in matters of the heart. Still, she insists, that doesn't mean our hearts have to wither and harden.

If you like this, listen to: "Lady Lady," "So Easy (To Fall In Love)," "Man I Need"

Traditionally, I've been opposed to including songs from the previous year in a list like this, even if they arrived too late for last year's ranking.

I'm breaking this informal rule for "Luther," which was released on Kendrick Lamar's 2024 album "GNX," for two reasons.

The first is that "Luther" deserves to be immortalized as a defining song of 2025. After Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show, "Luther" rose to No. 1 on the Hot 100 and stayed there for 13 consecutive weeks. It's one of just 47 songs in history to secure a double-digit reign on the chart, and the fact that it reached this milestone several months after its release speaks to its enduring and timeless appeal. (In decades past, this may not have been notable. But in the streaming era, our cultural attention span is shorter than ever.)

The second reason is more important: The song is just that good. "Luther" is the crown jewel of Lamar's longtime creative synergy with SZA, and considering how their duets also include classics like "Babylon," "Doves In the Wind," and the Oscar-nominated "All the Stars," that's no easy distinction. It's the result of two living legends at the top of their game.

If you like this, listen to: "Man at the Garden," "Hey Now (feat. Dody6)," "Gloria (with SZA)"

While finalizing her fourth studio album, "Virgin," Lorde repeatedly teased fans with a tagline: "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry," taken from a book about spiritual enlightenment by Jack Kornfield.

Her album's climactic closer, "David," could be summarized with the same five words. After the spilled secrets, the reckless worship, and the drug-like high of falling in love with the wrong person, Lorde returns to reality, left alone with the mess of independence. "I don't belong to anyone," she crows, apparently in triumph, though she presents a more sobering vision in the outro: "Am I ever gonna love again? Am I ever gonna love again? Am I ever gonna love again?"

Michelangelo's David is known for his pure, scratchless, perfect form, but Lorde inverts this image. Making art is all about chipping away at what doesn't work, finding a recognizable shape within the random chunks of material; with songs, unlike with sculptures, the artist mines her own flesh. Where the beauty of Michelangelo's David is immortal and unattainable, the beauty of Lorde's "David" is willfully human, leaving the listener with the taste of metal and salt on their tongue.

"The body that made this album bleeds and aches and sheds," Lorde told Zane Lowe. "I really tried as hard as I could to make this without shame."

If you like this, listen to: "Shapeshifter," "Favourite Daughter," "Current Affairs"

The Amtrak Acela is an express service between Boston and Washington, DC. The train line introduced a new fleet on the route in August 2025, known as NextGen Acela.

In addition to being the fastest Amtrak train with a top speed of 160 miles per hour, the NextGen Acela has modern interiors and high-tech amenities.

The Amtrak Acela trains only have two classes — business and first. I booked my business-class ticket for $180.

Out of curiosity, I looked at the pricing for coach seating on the regional Amtrak train, which is 30 minutes slower than the Acela. It was $40.

My train was scheduled to leave at 10 a.m., but there was a 90-minute delay. Since I was stuck at the station for longer than anticipated, I briefly considered going to the Metropolitan Lounge, an elevated space overlooking the train hall with cozy seating and complimentary refreshments.

First-class passengers and those traveling in sleeper accommodations can get into the lounge for free, but other Amtrak riders have to pay $50 to access it.

Since I'd already splurged on the business-class ticket, I decided to skip the lounge and head to the standard waiting room instead, but it was full. I finally settled for a seat on the floor against the wall until it was time to board.

When I got in line to board, I was reminded that business class is just a standard ticket on the Amtrak Acela. Unlike business-class rides I've taken that also had coach seating, this trip didn't include the perk of priority boarding.

Retractable window shades, exposed overhead bin space, informative screens, and ergonomic seats made the car feel like a step up compared to business-class Amtrak trains I've booked in the past.

Soft, cushy, spacious, supportive — these are the words that popped into my head when I settled into my business-class seat. A reclining function and footrest made the ride even more comfortable.

Power outlets, USB ports, and a reading light were all conveniently located on the side of the seat. In front of me was a tray table and a fold-out cupholder.

Most Amtrak trains I've been on have had WiFi, but in my experience, the connection has typically been too weak for much more than a Google search.

I was stoked when the NextGen Acela's 5G WiFi was fast enough to stream YouTube videos without any issues. I passed the time by watching live sessions of my favorite bands.

I've learned to set the bar low for train bathrooms. Stocked toilet paper, soap, and paper towels are not a given. Cleanliness and extra space aren't either. In my experience, some business-class bathrooms are no different from those in coach.

So I was ecstatic when I stepped inside the lavatory on the NextGen Acela. The automatic door opened into a spotless space that felt big enough for two people to do jumping jacks simultaneously.

I found it aesthetically pleasing too, with bold red accents and trendy touches, from the shelf to the mirror.

I also appreciated the touchless water, soap, and dryer functions on the sink.

"Amtrak travelers always have their preference," an Amtrak representative wrote in an email to Business Insider. "If they want to experience these premium trains with enhanced amenities, they can. Or, if they prefer convenient and affordable downtown-to-downtown service up and down the Northeast Corridor, Northeast Regional trains offer a comfortable and enjoyable way to travel throughout the Northeast Corridor and points beyond."

The next time I take an Amtrak train, I'll miss the cozy seat, elevated bathroom, high-speed WiFi, and shorter travel time. Still, these perks weren't enough for me to consider Acela's business class to be worth more than quadruple the price of a coach ticket.

At the age of 15, Isaacman decided to drop out of high school and take the GED, according to the Netflix docuseries "Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space."

"I was a horrible student," Isaacman said in the series. "And I wasn't, like, happy in school, either."

He described his younger self as independent and said he didn't understand things like raising your hand to go to the bathroom.

Isaacman founded United Bank Card in 1999.

The company, now called Shift4, offers mobile-payment software, point-of-sale solutions, and online payments for various businesses.

Isaacman said in the Netflix docuseries that when he started the company, he would wake up every day at 7:30 a.m. and fall asleep on the keyboard at 2 or 3 in the morning.

By 2020, he took the company public. Today, Shift4 processes over $260 billion annually and serves over 200,000 customers, according to its website.

Isaacman has known his wife, Monica Isaacman, for most of his life. The two come from the same town and got married in 2012. They now live in Pennsylvania with their two daughters.

"I want my kids to see humans walking on the moon and Mars," Isaacman told Business Insider.

His wife said in the docuseries that she had good and bad dreams leading up to his first SpaceX mission, Inspiration4, which launched in 2021.

She said while she wouldn't want him to compromise on his dreams of going to space, she worried about what could happen if something went wrong.

Isaacman told Business Insider in the interview that his family and wife were much more enthusiastic about the Polaris Dawn mission this time around, thanks to a successful first mission.

While there are still risks, he told Business Insider his family is aware and accepts them.

Isaacman founded Draken International in 2012. The company is a private aircraft provider that also trains pilots for the US military, the UK, and NATO countries.

In 2019, Isaacman sold the company to Blackstone.

Isaacman hit billionaire status in 2020 after selling Draken International and taking Shift4 public. His net worth is estimated at $1.1 billion, according to Forbes.

Isaacman said in the Netflix docuseries that he took an early interest in flying and went to flight school at a local airport in 2004.

At the time, he was feeling burned out from starting his company and described flying as "therapeutic." Isaacman also set a world speed record for flying around the globe in 2009.

"I do believe you only get one crack at life," Isaacman said in the docuseries. "To the extent you have the means to do so, you have this obligation to live life to the fullest. You never know when it's going to be your last day."

He added in the docuseries that this philosophy had taken him to fly in air shows as part of a seven-ship formation aerobatic team and on mountain-climbing expeditions in Antarctica.

Isaacman has been involved in several charitable causes and organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

His first SpaceX mission raised over $240 million for St. Jude and was named Inspiration4 to inspire support and raise awareness for the research hospital.

Isaacman and his wife have also committed to The Giving Pledge, a charitable campaign founded by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett in 2010.

The Giving Pledge serves as a commitment from wealthy people to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.

In 2021, Isaacman funded and led the first civilian mission to space, called Inspiration4. The mission was carried out by SpaceX's Dragon capsule.

Isaacman previously told Business Insider that the prep for the mission was extensive and involved a lot of studying and physical tests.

"The academics were pretty intense," Isaacman said, adding that there were thousands of pages across a hundred manuals to learn about SpaceX's Falcon and Dragon aircraft.

It also involved crew members learning how to draw blood from each other as well as take skin samples to prepare for increased radiation levels on the trip.

On September 10, 2024, Isaacman and three other crew members successfully took off on their way into orbit for the first-ever privately funded space walk.

The space walk featured SpaceX's new EVA suits.

Polaris Dawn lifted off from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's KSC, which also saw the launches of other historic missions, such as the Apollo 11 moon landing. Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew safely arrived back on the coast of Florida on September 15, 2024.

In an X post on December 4 of last year, Isaacman called the nomination "the honor of a lifetime" and suggested that human space exploration would be a top priority.

Space-industry experts told Business Insider that Isaacman was not a traditional pick for NASA Administrator, but his background in commercial spaceflight would benefit the agency.

"They need someone who is not afraid to try something new if the old ways aren't working," George Nield, a former head of the FAA's office of commercial space transportation, previously told Business Insider.

Michelle Hanlon, executive director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, called Isaacman "an inspired pick," in part due to his "stellar" managerial skills.

"He has shown a real commitment to increasing access to space, and I think he is going to be a great person to promote space to the general public," she said.

Trump said he was dropping Isaacman's nomination on May 31 in a post on Truth Social, after a "thorough review of prior associations." He also said that he would soon announce a new, "mission aligned" nominee.

Isaacman had donated to Democratic candidates throughout his career up until the 2024 election, according to OpenSecrets.

Isaacman responded to the withdrawal on X by saying he was "incredibly grateful" to the president, the Senate, and anyone who supported him throughout the nomination.

"The past six months have been enlightening and, honestly, a bit thrilling. I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry," Isaacman wrote in a post.

In an episode of the "All-In Podcast" released in June, Isaacman said that his Democratic donations were always public and he doesn't think it was the reason his nomination was withdrawn.

"I don't think that the timing was much of a coincidence that, you know, there was other changes going on the same day," Isaacman said, adding that there was "more than one departure that was covered on that day."

Isaacman said that he thinks there were "axes to grind" and he was a "good visible target." He said he doesn't "fault the president at all" and fully supports him.

Musk had ended his time at the White House leading DOGE just days before the decision to withdraw Isaacman's nomination. Musk swiftly came to Isaacman's defense following the withdrawal and wrote in a post and said on X that it was "rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted."

Days later, Musk ramped up his criticism of Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which escalated into the two exchanging insults on social media. Musk accused the president of being involved in the Epstein files, and Trump threatened to eliminate government contracts with Musk's companies.

While the dust appeared to momentarily settle between Musk and Trump after their public dust-up, the feud started back up again when Musk renewed his criticism of Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which was just signed into law in July.

Isaacman was drawn to the forefront as tensions rose between the two.

In a post about the end of EV mandates in Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," Trump shed some more light on the decision that went into withdrawing Isaacman's nomination.

"Elon asked that one of his close friends run NASA and, while I thought his friend was very good, I was surprised to learn that he was a blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before," Trump said on Truth Social in July.

Isaacman had previously said in the "All-In Podcast" in June that he's always been "somewhat of a moderate" and leaned right.

Trump added that he thought it was "inappropriate" that a close friend of Musk would run NASA when it's such a big part of Musk's corporate life.

On an episode of the "Shawn Ryan Show" in September, Isaacman said he didn't take it seriously when Trump's transition team first approached him about leading NASA.

He said that in late November 2024, a friend informed him that his name was being circulated for a job in the administration. Then, while running in Central Park, he said he missed a call and had a message from a number he didn't recognize — he said he assumed it was a scam.

"It was like, 'Would you be interested in serving in DJT's administration?" Isaacman said on the podcast. "And I deleted it because I was like, if it was not a scam, it would be just a little bit more legit than this."

Isaacman said he realized his mistake when the friend reached out again and said the administration was trying to reach him. He soon got on the phone with Howard Lutnick, who had been running his transition team at the time, about leading NASA, Isaacman said. The next day, he said he met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

He said Trump shook his hand at the end of the meeting and said "you got the job." Isaacman added that he thought Trump liked him in part because he was a "political newcomer."

Months after withdrawing his nomination for Isaacman, Trump renominated Isaacman for NASA administrator on Tuesday.

"Jared's passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era," Trump wrote in his Truth Social post.

Following the renomination announcement, Isaacman thanked Trump for the opportunity in a post on X.

"Godspeed, President Donald J. Trump, and Godspeed NASA, as America leads the greatest adventure in human history," Isaacman said in the post.

After a volatile year, Isaacman was finally confirmed as NASA administrator on December 17, with the US Senate voting 67-30 to approve his appointment.

Isaacman will take over the position from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has served as the agency's interim administrator since July.

In a hearing before the Senate earlier this month, Isaacman stressed the importance of beating China in the race to land astronauts on the moon, warning that failure to do so could "could shift the balance of power here on Earth."

This story was originally published on September 11, 2024, and most recently updated on December 18, 2025.