It Matters that Only Three Latinos are in Trump’s White House Staff
By Victor Landa, NewsTaco (2.5 minute read) 
By my count there are 94 people in President Trump’s White House staff. Three are Latinos, that’s about 3 percent of the total.
The number isn’t final because there are still cabinet members to be approved and by extension their staff could be counted as well. But four days into the new administration means the top, most important positions have been filled.
Of the 94, 73 are men and 21 are women.
It seems pointless to state the obvious, Trump could have done better with his staff’s diversity. But diversity is a disparaged concept in these days of alternative White House realities, so stating the obvious is becoming a act of clarity.
For the sake of clarity, then, these are the three Latin@s:
- Carlos Dias-Rosillo
- He was on Trump’s transition team and has taught government at Harvard for more than 8 years. He reports directly to Steven Miller, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President for Policy, who in turn reports to Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Senior White House Advisor. Kushner is also the publisher of the New York Observer and the CEO of Kushner Companies.
- Helen Aguirre-Ferré
- She’s a former spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee and now serves as Special Assistant to the President and Director of Media Affairs. She reports directly to Sean Spicer, Trump’s Press Secretary and Communication’s Director.
- Peter Navarro
- He is an Associate Professor at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California-Irvine. He’s now Director of the White House National Trade Council.
This isn’t a count for the sake of numbers alone, these are numbers for the sake of gauging influence. It matters that there be Latin@s in the White House staff because it means Latinos have the proverbial seat at the table. I think it’s good becasue everyone else at the table is reminded that Latinos are as much a part of the fabric of U.S. society as they are a part of the White House staff. So when only three out of 94 represent us, it’s a problem.
[pullquote]Not only does Trump not know competent Latinos (and there are many), his staff doesn’t either.[/pullquote]It’s also a problem that Trump’s staff pipeline didn’t have room for Latinos. It means that not only does Trump not know competent Latinos (and there are many), his staff doesn’t either. So the
At this point nothing can be undone, and there will be questions about whether the three Latinos in Trump’s White House reflect the interests of the Latino community. What isn’t in question, though, is the size of the voice that Latinos will have in Trump’s highest circles of influence.
Dismal, is a good word.
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[Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr]
