Donald Trump listens to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis in the Cabinet Room of the White House May 13, 2020, in Washington, D.C. | Source: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Getty
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump first began nominating people to be in his Cabinet, none have been Black. Instead, the president-elect has opted to pick unqualified white people to lead federal agencies outside of their expertise, like Tuesday’s inexplicable nomination of WWE executive Linda McMahon to lead the U.S. Department of Education.
As a result, calls are growing for Trump to nominate at least one Black person, particularly since his pandering on the campaign trail to attract a historic number of Black voters to cast their ballots in his favor.
MORE: Viral Post Shows List Of Black MAGA Loyalists Who Trump Is Snubbing For His Cabinet
When Trump named failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, an Indian American, to help launch a proposed new agency called the U.S. Department Of Government Efficiency, some may have thought that signaled a willingness to name other racial minorities (read: Black Americans). But thus far, that treatment has only applied to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the State Department nominee who all but identifies as white, and Steven Cheung, the Assistant to the President and Director of Communications who is Chinese American.
In fact, out of at least 26 people nominated for Trump’s Cabinet to Cabinet-level positions, not one is Black.
Source: X screenshot
It’s a glaring omission that has caught the attention of people including civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton.
“In the two weeks since Donald Trump was elected to a second term, he has put forth a dozen troubling nominees, yet the most alarming factor in his proposed Cabinet is that not a single candidate is Black,” the founder and president of National Action Network said in a statement sent to NewsOne on Wednesday morning. “Trump spent this campaign selling himself to Black voters, especially men, by peddling sneakers and implying his criminal convictions would resonate with our community. Instead of meeting the demands of more Black voters who supported him, Donald Trump has proposed an Attorney General nominee wrapped up in an ethics probe over trafficking allegations and a Health Secretary whose views on vaccines and other safeguards could devastate our community. Right now, it appears that the self-proclaimed ‘best president for Black America since Abraham Lincoln’ has lost interest in us. The president-elect needs to put his money where his mouth is if he actually wants to deliver for Black America.”
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Critics of Trump have gleefully taken to social media to suggest that Black surrogates like Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott being left off the list of Cabinet picks was tantamount to racial kismet.
For example, a social media post showing loyal Black Trump supporters who have shamelessly fawned over the president-elect but not among those selected to serve in his Cabinet went viral. The post says the people featured — Dr. Ben Carson, Trump’s former HUD Secretary; North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson; Candace Owens; former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron; Herschel Walker; and Donalds and Scott — “campaigned for the table, but earned no seat…”
Others poked fun at the lack of Black nominees by way of social media memes, including one that satirically imagined Trump nominating former NBA star Karl Malone — who’s been accused of sexual misconduct with a minor — to lead the Child Protective Services fictional federal agency.
The larger point of that post was to highlight Trump’s pattern of nominating unqualified people, some of whom have even been accused of heinous crimes, both of which are not unlike the president-elect himself.
This is America.
SEE ALSO:
After Trump Made Historic Gains With Black Men, He Hasn’t Picked Any To Serve In His Administration
