Walter Isaacson Says Elon Musk Is In 'Demon Mode' On The Issue Of NASA Being Folded Into Transportation Department: Report

• During an interview with CNBC, Isaacson explained that Musk does not carefully calculate his own interests as other tech company CEOs do.
• Isaacson stated that Musk’s short stint in the Trump administration was difficult and not a pretty sight.

Elon Musk’s biographer, Walter Isaacson, reportedly said on Thursday that the SpaceX and Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO is in “demon mode” when it comes to the issue of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) being folded into the U.S. Department of Transportation.

During an interview with CNBC, Isaacson explained that Musk does not carefully calculate his own interests as other tech company CEOs do.

Musk’s Stint In The Trump Administration

Isaacson stated that Musk’s short stint in the Trump administration was difficult and not a pretty sight. He recalled the day Musk was called into the Oval Office by President Donald Trump and was ousted, noting that “a lot of things happened” during Musk’s visit.

“It’s not a pretty sight. It was not a pretty sight when he went into the Trump administration. He’s not wired to be somebody who gets along and goes along in government.”

— Walter Isaacson, author and journalist

Isaacson added that Musk was told by President Trump that, following the ouster of the Tesla CEO from the administration, the nomination of Shift4 Payments Inc. (FOUR) founder Jared Isaacman as the NASA Director was also being pulled.

“That caused Elon Musk to really go ballistic, so to speak. Not because Jared Isaacman is some close personal friend… but because Jared Isaacman is a true test pilot who has flown in SpaceX vehicles, and Elon strongly believes he’s needed at NASA,” Isaacson added in the interview.

Musk’s Remarks About Sean Duffy

Isaacson’s comments come amid Musk’s remarks about Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

“Sean ‘Dangerously Stupid’ Dummy. The part in quotes is his call sign. Didn’t want to forget that,” said Musk in a post on X.

Duffy had stated on Monday that the contract for NASA’s moon mission would be opened up to other companies. He added that there are two companies on NASA's radar for its moon mission, stating that Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin could be a potential competitor to take over from SpaceX.

SpaceX is currently not listed. Retail sentiment on Stocktwits around the company trended in the ‘bullish’ territory at the time of writing.

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