How diverse are Trump executive branch appointees?
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:
We are coming up on day 200 of the second Trump Administration. According to the Census Bureau, about 57% of Americans are White. What portion of confirmed Trump executive branch appointees are White?
How does the racial makeup of the executive branch appointees compare to past presidents?
Executive branch nominees include cabinet positions such as the Attorney General, Ambassadors, Heads of Independent Agencies: such as the director of the CIA or the head of the EPA, Deputy Secretaries, Under Secretaries, and Assistant Secretaries who are high-ranking officials within the various departments, and U.S. Attorneys and U.S. Marshals. These high executive branch nominees must be approved by the Senate. How does this illustrate the concept of checks and balances?
Besides nominees for the executive branch, what other nominations does President Trump get to make?
If we looked at the race of all executive branch appointees for all presidents, the earliest record of non-white individuals appointed to executive branch positions in the United States was during Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration . During his presidency, Roosevelt appointed a number of African-American advisors to executive roles in federal departments and New Deal agencies, forming what became informally known as the "Black Cabinet"* (despite this name, none of these appointees were cabinet level officials). Why do you think it took until 1933 to have a non-White member of the executive branch?
President Trump’s confirmed nominees continue to be the least ethnically diverse going back 25 years, using U.S. Census categories. Almost half of President Biden’s executive branch appointees were non-White. Why do you think President Trump has appointed so few minorities to the executive branch?
According to the visual below* how does the gender of Trump executive branch appointees compare to those of recent past presidents?
How will the lack of gender and racial diversity in executive branch leadership impact the policy implemented by the Trump administration?
A student named Hank commented that the gender and race of government employees does not matter. Almost all of the millions of federal workers are non-political and require no Senate confirmation. How would you respond to Hank’s comment?
During the current Trump administration the Senate is majority Republican (53 Republicans to 47 Democrats + Independents). The Senate left Washington for its monthlong August recess without a deal to advance dozens of President Donald Trump's nominees, calling it quits after days of contentious bipartisan negotiations and Trump posting on social media that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer can "GO TO HELL!" Without a deal in hand, Republicans say they may try to change Senate rules when they return in September to speed up the pace of confirmations. Trump has been pressuring senators to move quickly as Democrats blocked more nominees than usual this year, denying any fast unanimous consent votes and forcing roll calls on each one, a lengthy process that can take several days per nominee. Do you think Senate Republicans should change the rules to speed up the confirmation process?
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Contact your U.S. Senators and let them know what you think about their confirmation process.
Get Creative
If the Trump administration were a sport, what sport would it be? Here is a list of sports to choose from:
American Football
Archery
Artistic Swimming
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Biathlon
Canoeing
Cornhole
Crewing
Cricket
Curling
Cycling
Darts
Disability Sport
Diving
Equestrian
Fencing
Football
Formula 1
Gaelic Games
Golf
Gymnastics
Handball
Hockey
Horse Racing
Ice Hockey
Judo
Karate
Mixed Martial Arts
Modern Pentathlon
NASCAR
Polo
Rowing
Rugby
Rugby
Sailing
Shinty
Shooting
Skateboarding
Snooker
Softball
Sport Climbing
Squash
Surfing
Swimming
Table Tennis
Taekwondo
Tennis
Triathlon
Volleyball
Water Polo
Weightlifting
Winter Sports
Wrestling
Learning Extension
Check out the big picture of the Trump’s executive nominees at Brookings.
Action Extension
Contact President Trump and share your opinion on his executive nominations.
