The influential Trump advisor who triggered the president’s spectacular split with Elon Musk

President Donald Trump’s surprise decision to change Elon Musk’s preferred pick to lead NASA may have done more to fuel the historic blowup between the two men than previously known.

The president canceled his nomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA’s administrator after Musk officially left the White House on Friday.

Isaacman, a billionaire, pilot and astronaut, was close with Musk and even flew to space with Musk’s Dragon program on Operation Polaris Dawn in 2024.

But he had a history of donating funds to Democrats, including recent Democratic candidates who ran against GOP senators Tim Sheehy of Montana and Bernie Moreno of Ohio in 2024.

Despite his donations, Isaacman was approved by the Senate committee in April and was expected to get confirmed this week in the Senate.

But Trump’s advisor Sergio Gor, in charge of managing the White House personnel office, reportedly delivered Trump a list of Isaacman’s donations to Democrats according to reporting from Axios.

Gor did not appreciate Musk’s involvement in personnel matters, the report noted, as they had a tense relationship.

President Donald Trump reacts as Elon Musk speaks at the White House

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, left, and Presidential Personnel Office Director Sergio Gor

Jared Isaacman, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) testifies

‘This was Sergio’s out-the-door ‘f**k you’ to Musk,’ one White House official said.

Trump and Musk spoke about Issacson’s record prior to their press conference last Friday.

Despite their conversation, Trump pulled Issacson’s nomination on Saturday.

‘After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social site.

Sergio Gor speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden

(L-R) Aide Walt Nauta, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Assistant to the President Sergio Gor, and an aide, wait for U.S. President Donald Trump to board Marine One on the South Lawn

Musk responded to the news with disappointment

‘It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted,’ Musk wrote of Isaacman on X. 

The president mused Thursday that Musk’s personal attacks might have been trigged by his decision.

‘I know that disturbed him He wanted and rightfully recommended somebody that I guess he knew very well. I’m sure he respected him, to run NASA. But I didn’t think it was appropriate. He happened to be a Democrat, like totally Democrat,’ Trump said, adding that the administration had the right to nominate a Republican to the position.

As the person in charge at the White House personnel office, Gor is a powerful aide that is rarely crossed as he influences who is allowed to work in the administration.

Gor, a former Deputy Chief of staff to Sen. Rand Paul, joined the Trump campaign and never looked back. 

He also is a close associate of Donald Trump Jr. and and officiated Rep. Matt Gaetz’s wedding.

Gor also co-founded Trump Jr.’s publishing company and founded a pro-Trump super PAC in the 2024 election, spending nearly $72 million.

Since Trump’s comments to reporters in the Oval Office Thursday, Musk tried to de-escalate his spiraling feud with Trump.

White House aides even tried to organize a crisis call between the warring billionaires – but peace talks appear to be off as of Friday morning.

The bromance between the world’s richest and most powerful men was in tatters on Thursday with Musk calling for Trump to be impeached after linking him to Jeffrey Epstein and the president urged to deport the Space X boss.

The clash, which began over Musk’s opposition to Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’, quickly evolved into personal insults and prompted the president to suggest that Musk’s multibillion-dollar government contracts should be ripped away.

Trump is rumored to be considering selling off his red Tesla he purchased a few months ago

The bromance between the world’s richest and most powerful men was in tatters on Thursday

The world’s richest man suffered one of his worst ever days on Wall Street, losing around $27 billion from his net worth as frantic traders dumped Tesla stock.

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman stepped into the fray, posting a plea on X for the two men to reconcile ‘for the benefit of our great country,’ warning that ‘we are much stronger together than apart.’

Musk, who became one of Trump’s closest allies during the election campaign and then as head of his DOGE cost cutting taskforce, responded with a brief but telling reply: ‘You’re not wrong.’

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