Musk’s rant followed an Oct. 20 report by the Wall Street Journal <\/a>that alleges Trump’s Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy<\/a>, is vying to lead NASA as part of the Department of Transportation.<\/p>\n “Should someone whose biggest claim to fame is climbing trees be running America\u2019s space program?” Musk wrote<\/a>, referencing Duffy’s past as a professional lumberjack, during which he won multiple speed climbing championships at the Lumberjack World Championships.<\/p>\n Musk’s post included a poll, with “Noo, he need moar brainz!” earning 67% of the vote, beating out “Yezz, chimps skillz r\u016bl!”<\/p>\n The SpaceX CEO continued<\/a> to post<\/a> about Duffy over the next two days, writing, “The person responsible for America\u2019s space program can\u2019t have a 2-digit IQ” and “Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA!”<\/p>\n Duffy has been acting administrator of NASA since Trump’s initial nominee, Karen Petro, left in July to be the new director of the Kennedy Space Center.<\/p>\n Related: https:\/\/people-app.onelink.me\/HNIa\/kz7l4cuf<\/a><\/p>\n Since his time leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE<\/a>) during the first few months of the second Trump administration, Musk has supported his friend and fellow tech billionaire, Jared Isaacman<\/a>, to be the next NASA administrator.<\/p>\n Trump initially nominated Isaacman for the position, but withdrew his nomination in late May. Speculation at the time suggested that the withdrawal had to do with Trump’s falling out with Musk over the Tesla CEO’s criticism of his “Big Beautiful” budget bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n PATRICK T. FALLON\/Getty Images Jared Isaacman<\/p>\n “I don’t think that the timing was much of a coincidence,” Isaacman said during a June 4 appearance on\u00a0The All-In Podcast<\/a>, noting he found out about the abrupt change of plans on May 30, the same day Trump and Musk held their\u00a0final Oval Office press conference<\/a>\u00a0together.<\/p>\n “I was in D.C. for the last six months getting ready,” he added. “There were some people that, you know, had some axes to grind, I guess. And I was a good, visible target.”<\/p>\n While Isaacman’s name is a frontrunner once again, Musk stopped short of making a full endorsement. In a later post<\/a>, he admitted, “At this point, I am not advocating any particular candidate for NASA Administrator. I am just desperate for someone with a 3-digit IQ.”<\/p>\n “Having a NASA Administrator who knows literally ZERO about rockets & spacecraft undermines the American space program and endangers our astronauts,” he added.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n Musk\u00a0left his post<\/a>\u00a0as the head of DOGE when his special government employee contract ended on May 30. While it was initially thought that he would continue on in an advisory role,\u00a0his fierce criticism<\/a>\u00a0of Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” made the departure seem much more final<\/a>.<\/p>\n Days later, Musk unleashed his true feelings<\/a> about the president’s agenda and budget plans on X.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m sorry, but I just can\u2019t stand it anymore,” he wrote at the time. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”<\/p>\n While he later walked back some of his most vitriolic posts on X,\u00a0a source told PEOPLE<\/a>\u00a0at the time that Musk’s relationship with the Trump White House was forever damaged.<\/p>\n “Trump doesn\u2019t forget,” the source said. “He may say something acceptable for public consumption, but after what Elon wrote on social media, and despite his apology, Trump\u2019s relationship\u00a0with Musk will never again be the same.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"PATRICK](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0ad036dece753b1230760d2a700a7e12.jpeg\"\/)
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