Fact check: Did Donald Trump really fire NASA Administrator Sean Duffy over the 3I/Atlas controversy?

3I/Atlas is fueling a fresh fact-check after a viral claim said Donald Trump fired NASA’s acting boss Sean Duffy over “withheld images.” The paperwork tells a different story. Duffy has been acting as NASA administrator since July 2025, while continuing as Transportation Secretary. This week, Trump said he is re-nominating private astronaut and Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman to be the permanent NASA administrator.

If confirmed by the Senate, Isaacman would replace Duffy through the standard process, not because of any 3I/Atlas fallout. The 3I/Atlas debate has mixed science and politics for weeks, with lawmakers pressing NASA for faster releases, Elon Musk feuding with Duffy over Artemis contracting, and social posts amplifying rumors about Mars-orbiter pictures.

None of that amounted to a firing. This fact-check lays out what Trump actually said, who Sean Duffy is, how 3I/Atlas updates triggered pressure on NASA, and why the “firing” storyline does not match the record.

Fact check: Was Sean Duffy fired over 3I/Atlas? What the record shows

The verdict is no. Trump re-nominated Jared Isaacman to run NASA on November 4, 2025. Duffy remains the acting administrator until the Senate confirms a permanent chief. The move follows months of turbulence unrelated to 3I/Atlas personnel actions. As per a Truth social post dated November 5, 2025, Donald Trump stated,

"Sean Duffy has done an incredible job as Interim Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)...This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA.”

He added,

“Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration… make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era.”

Those statements confirm a nomination, not a dismissal. 3I/Atlas remains a separate transparency fight that includes congressional letters and public commentary, but no documented order removing Duffy. Duffy’s acting role began July 9–10, 2025 and continues during Isaacman’s renewed confirmation process.

Rumor tracking shows the “firing” narrative grew from social posts that conflated 3I/Atlas image-release pressure with the re-nomination news cycle. No reputable outlet has reported a Duffy firing tied to 3I/Atlas. The official record lists a re-nomination and ongoing acting leadership.

Who is Sean Duffy, and why was he running NASA during 3I/Atlas?

Sean Duffy is the U.S. Transportation Secretary and a former Wisconsin congressman. The White House placed him at NASA in an acting capacity in July 2025 after the original Isaacman nomination stalled. NASA’s profile for Duffy and DOT’s bio confirm the dual-hat arrangement. His name has trended beyond 3I/Atlas because of high-visibility moments.

During a viral clip from Hulu’s The Kardashians, Duffy publicly corrected a moon-landing claim. As per X's reply post dated October 30, 2025, Sean Duffy remarked,

“Yes, , we’ve been to the Moon before… 6 times! And even better: is going back under the leadership of. We won the last space race and we will win this one too.”

To which Kim K replied,

"Wait…. what’s the tea on 3I Atlas?!?!!!!!!!?????"

He has also sparred with Elon Musk about reopening parts of the Artemis contracting landscape, which helped turn 3I/Atlas chatter into broader politics.

How 3I/Atlas became a political football and what Donald Trump actually said

3I/Atlas began as a rare science event. NASA’s science pages and updates underscore that the interstellar comet “poses no threat to Earth” and outlined perihelion on October 30. Pressure for quicker image releases spiked when Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb argued that Mars-orbiter shots should be published faster. As per a Medium post dated October 2025, Avi Loeb stated,

“We should not hold science hostage to the shutdown politics of the day. The scientific community would have greatly benefited from the dissemination of this time-sensitive data as astronomers plan follow-up observations in the coming months.”

On October 31 and into early November, US Rep. Anna Paulina Luna pressed NASA for more disclosure and floated using Juno for further study. As per Rep. Anna Paulina Luna X's post dated August 1, 2025, she said,

“I’m urging NASA to extend the Juno mission to study interstellar object 31/ATLAS....Thank you Avi Loeb for your continued dedication.”

This is the backdrop against which Trump re-nominated Isaacman. The action he took was a standard personnel step that kept Duffy in place as acting while the Senate considers Isaacman. None of these 3I/Atlas pressures came with a Duffy firing order.

Stay tuned for more updates.