As President-elect Donald Trump fills his cabinet and chooses his wardrobe advisers ahead of Inauguration Day, many African-American leaders are wondering why more black people haven’t been appointed to top positions.
ABC News spoke with more than half a dozen long-time African-American conservatives and new Republicans at Trumpworld, in Washington and beyond.
Last month, he was nominated as the candidate for president Scott TurnerHe served as executive director of the White House Council on Opportunity and Revitalization during Trump’s first term as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
One area of frustration for many black Republicans was speculation that if Trump were to appoint an African-American to his administration, it would be at HUD, the department that has had the most black secretaries.
In this Oct. 29, 2024, file photo, President-elect Donald Trump attends a campaign event in Allentown, Pa.
Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters, FILE
A black Southern Republican told ABC News, “Why is every black person being given a HUD?” He added that it was “the literal Black job of the administration.”
ABC News reached out to Trump’s transition team for comment on his picks, but did not hear back.
Six African-Americans have served as HUD Secretary, including Robert Weaver, the first. Appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966, he also became the first African-American appointed to a Cabinet-level position.
The first African-American woman to serve in a presidential cabinet was Patricia Roberts Harris, the first African-American director of health and human services and later HUD secretary. He served under President Jimmy Carter.
Former HUD Secretary Samuel Pierce was the only Black Cabinet officer in the Ronald Reagan administration. HUD’s Dr. Ben Carson was Trump’s only Black cabinet member during his first term.
In mid-November, Carson published He said he was “excited to talk with President Trump about how I will continue to advance the America First agenda,” and that I will be meeting with him in the near future.
“However, contrary to reports, I will not be serving as the chief surgeon,” he said.
The Treasury and Interior departments remain the only departments that have never had a Black secretary.
Another position that black conservatives believe an African-American should hold is assistant to the president, a high-level role in the White House. Trump nominated him before Omarosa Manigault Newmana contestant on his TV series “The Apprentice” as the president’s only black aide.
“I think if you’re talking about Black influence inside the White House, does Trump want Omarosa to be the only legacy of being the only AP for two terms?” asked a Black Republic strategist.
After Newman’s departure, Ja’Ron Smith served as special assistant for legislative affairs before being promoted to deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy. Ashley Bell, a prominent Black Republican, served as a White House adviser on entrepreneurship and as a regional administrator for the Small Business Administration. Bell’s former boss is former SBA administrator Linda McMahon, who Trump announced as his pick for the Department of Education. McMahon is also the chairman of the Trump-Vance transition team.
Scott Turner, executive director of the White House Council on Opportunity and Revitalization, speaks with President Donald Trump during an Opportunity Zone conference at the White House in Washington, April 17, 2019.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Some of the former president’s most ardent defenders have grown uneasy with the lack of black appointments, as Trump has selected several other would-be first-timers in those positions. If confirmed, Senator Marco Rubio would be the first Hispanic secretary of state; Scott Bessent would be the first openly gay Secretary of the Treasury; and Tulsi Gabbard will be the first Asian American and the youngest director of national intelligence ever.
“I can’t tweet that we need more black conservatives because the left will attack me saying it’s DEI hiring,” the southern Republican said.
However, a Black Republican operative told ABC News that it is still too early for appointments.
“The Republican Party has never really fallen into the ‘representation matters’ category. Our strength comes from diversity, but that’s not our bumper sticker motto.
The operative noted that Black Republicans have made strides in leadership across the country. Senator Tim Scott will chair the Republican National Senatorial Committee; Rep. Byron Donald thinks he might run for governor or US Senate in Florida; and Winsome Sears wants to become the country’s first black female governor of Virginia.
Donalds hit out at CNN last month when asked about President Joe Biden’s focus on diversity in his administration and the lack of diversity among Trump’s nominees, saying, “If you look at how the Democrats filled Joe Biden’s cabinet, they wanted to be a part of each identity. . But did they do the job? Did they really serve the interests of the American people?”
“Donald Trump’s election is what it is, the ability and the reality to return to DC in the White House, regardless of race, regardless of religion, regardless of his beliefs.” added the Florida congressman.
While there are some highly qualified black leaders in and out of politics, another obstacle black conservatives face is additional scrutiny due to their dual identities.
In this Aug. 27, 2020, file photo, U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention at Mellon Auditorium in Washington.
Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images, FILE
Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonpartisan organization that studies diversity in government and congressional staff, said the Trump administration is very different from past Republican administrations.
“Trump is not a traditional Republican, he doesn’t use traditional Republican institutions the way past presidential candidates have, so there’s no pipeline, no long-term relationship,” Asante-Muhammad said.
“Being a part of Trumpworld is not easy. It’s almost a personal blacklist thing in the outside world. So it’s dangerous, I think, to be a part of this organization, for black people who want to be a part of the cause, but it’s not worth their bottom dollar,” added a Black Republic strategist.
“When black people are put under this microscope of being affiliated with Trump, they look beyond your color and you are public enemy number one,” said one Black Republic operative.
The Republican strategist said Black Republicans face a different set of expectations: They don’t necessarily thrive in highly disruptive spaces like Trump’s second term.
“I don’t think disruptions really lean into our skill set the way things are set up today, we just have to play things a little bit differently. There’s no Matt Gatez version of Black Republic. They don’t last,” the strategist added.
“Those of us who have been alive and working for years, being stable, consistent, reliable and trustworthy,” said the strategist.
A majority of black Republicans who spoke to ABC News agreed that while it’s not ideal for Trump to be surrounded by mostly whites, they believe that if Trump gets a better economy, secures the border, gets the Second Step Act and judicial reform. It could be transformative for the black community, but they want the former president to hire more black conservatives.
