Despite several Black Republicans campaigning for him in the 2024 election cycle, President-elect Donald Trump has yet to name any of them to his administration.
From U.S. Senator Tim Scott, R-S.C., to U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, John James, R-Mich., and Burgess Owens, R-Utah, Trump has a pool of Black Republicans to select from. Several of them traveled on behalf of the Trump-Vance campaign in an attempt to court Black voters, namely Black men, which included barbershop talks and other community events.
Rep. James, who notably told Black voters, “If you don’t vote for Donald Trump, you ain’t Black” at the Republican National Convention, was praised by Trump during a July rally in Michigan, where he told his supporters that he would put James “in charge” of bringing back the auto industry when it was at its “height” in the state. It’s not clear what exact job he was referring to.
Days before Election Day, at a rally in Macon, Georgia, 2022 Republican Senate nominee Herschel Walker campaigned for Trump (despite mispronouncing his name). During the event, Trump vowed to, if elected, place Walker in charge of a new missile defense shield, though the former NFL player has no such experience in national security.
Ben Carson, who served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development during Trump’s first term, dispelled rumors that he was being considered for U.S. surgeon general. However, he said on X that he would meet with Trump in the “near future” to discuss how he could “advance the America First agenda.”
“It’s certainly noticeable that the Trump White House cabinet and that the Trump team has not featured any Black faces and Black voices in high-profile roles yet,” said Democratic strategist Joel Payne. “That speaks a little bit to their assessment of who they believe are the best and the brightest, and I think that the picks that the president and his team have made speak for themselves.”
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