For months, Florida Congressman Byron Donalds has been seen on cable news defending Donald Trump. There have even been times when Rep. Donalds has been called out for misrepresenting or glossing over many of Trump’s assertions that “crime is on the rise in the United States and increasing because of illegal immigration.
“You’re lying. You’re lying, Congressman,” exclaimed CNN political analyst Keith Boykin during an episode of Abby Phillip’s show News Night on Oct. 1 on the question of crime.
“It’s true, I’m not lying,” Donald shot back. The moment was just one of many times the top Trump surrogate defended the President. Surprisingly, Donalds has yet to be chosen for a cabinet-level position in Trump’s Administration.
Another dedicated Black surrogate, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, has yet to be selected by Trump to join the Administration.
Both Donalds and Scott may be looking at other positions. Rep. Donalds is said to be weighing the possibility of running for governor of Florida as current governor Ron DeSantis’ term is limited. Senator Scott would have to resign from the U.S. Senate to serve in Trump’s Administration. If his history is a guide, Scott would likely be aware that the level of turnover during Trump’s first four-year term from 2017 to 2021 was filled with cabinet departures and short stints marked by controversy and, at times, chaos.
“Guess y’all were on the campaign trail betraying your people for NOTHING…Not even an opportunity Byron Donalds and Tim Scott. Y’all are the WEAKEST LINKS in the Black community,” wrote Nikki Barnes on the situation.
But it’s not just that Donalds and Scott have been so far passed over. Trump has only chosen three Black or Hispanic nominees for his cabinet or senior staff: Former Texas state lawmaker and motivational speaker Scott Turner, who is Black, for Housing and Urban Development; Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), who is Hispanic, for Labor and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who is likely to be confirmed as the first-ever Hispanic secretary of State.
Several of the selections have been highly controversial. The resumes of Trump’s selection for Department of Defense and Attorney General, Fox News Host Pete Hegseth and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, have been questioned. Both men have reportedly been investigated for sexual assault-related allegations.
The lack of qualifications has won the attention of many because many MAGA Republicans have railed against what they believe is a problem regarding diversity in hiring. But the recent hires of Fox News host Hegseth, who has no management experience, and Gaetz, who has no experience as a Judge or a prosecutor cited as another reason why the Trump Administration is expected to be damaging to federal employees, democracy and the rule of law.
“When your Attorney General pick couldn’t even pass an FBI background check to be a field agent, you know you’ve completely sacrificed merit. I don’t ever want to hear another word about “unqualified” Black people getting a damned thing. Not ever,” wrote Tim Wise, an expert on racism in America, on Trump’s recent appointees.
Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the publisher of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears regularly on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and speaks on Crisis Comms on YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke.
