Of all days, the 34-time felony convicted, twice impeached, 26 times accused sexual predator, President-elect Donald Trump, will be inaugurated for his second term on Jan. 20, 2025—MLK Day.
That fact alone has some Black people viewing the coming new year with a side-eye.
But worries about the near future for Black people extend beyond the ironically symbolic.
Many Black Americans are still dealing with the negative taste in their mouth from Trump’s first term, one that resulted in a marked rise in hate crimes against them and other minority groups. Trump’s first term also produced rhetoric considered hostile toward Blacks, immigrants, Asians, and Muslims. With Trump poised to retake the Oval Office, many believe a resurgence of violence and intolerance will follow.
Multiple national polls, including the 2024 American Electorate Voter Poll, revealed that Black people possessed “deep anxieties” about Trump 2.0. With his Nov. 5 victory, those fears have only grown for many, especially regarding the potential implementation of the policies of Project 2025. The document is the comprehensive blueprint for a radical conservative restructuring of the federal government devised by the Heritage Foundation in partnership with 123 other conservative think tanks.
One of the main reasons many Black people are worried about 2025’s prospects centers around Trump’s cabinet nominees. Listed below are a few of those nominees and their leadership’s potential impact on Black America.
US ATTORNEY GENERAL
Though former U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz removed himself from consideration as U.S. Attorney General (the nation’s top law enforcement agent), the fact that he was Trump’s first choice for many spells trouble.
The fact that Gaetz is currently being investigated for paying for multiple sexual encounters with a minor is disturbing enough. But what many feared most was Gaetz’s willingness to obey Trump’s every command, backed up by the immense investigatory power that comes with being the U.S. AG. These fears are magnified because of Trump’s main campaign pledge—to enact “retribution and revenge” upon his enemies, using the U.S. AG as the point person.
Gaetz recently told ultra-conservative media personality Charlie Kirk: “I’m going to be fighting for President Trump. I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have.”
Again, Gaetz is no longer in the running for that position. But Trump still expects Gaetz-level blind obedience to his “retribution and revenge” goals from Pam Bondi, his new U.S. AG nominee.
Black Impact
Such an approach would not bode well for non-conservative-leaning media in general, Black media in particular. Additionally, Trump has named several prominent figures, including Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, VP Kamala Harris, former U.S. Congresswoman Liz Cheney, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and others to his enemies list.
Trump has threatened to revoke the broadcasting licenses of several media outlets, including ABC, so it stands to reason that any entities guilty of criticizing Trump, including historic civil rights organizations (NAACP, National Urban League), could find themselves investigated.
“I think a lot of the ‘retribution and revenge’ rhetoric is just talk, but talk that I think should be taken seriously,” said Houston-area attorney Dion Craig. “People could be attacked in very subtle ways. Not dotting an I or crossing a T could be misconstrued and used as having some criminal intent placed behind it to justify witch-hunting projects, which he probably will engage in.”
Craig says with Republicans controlling all three branches of the government, it will be easier for Trump-generated falsehoods and witch hunts to be implemented.
HOUSING
Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is, so far, his only African American cabinet appointee, former NFL player and Texas legislator Scott Turner.
Though little is known about Turner, Trump’s first-term HUD head, Dr. Ben Carson, focused on policies like the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. RAD was created to repair aging public housing but came with a partner initiative—closing public housing deemed “too expensive to fix.” The result—scores of families with Section 8 vouchers left with few landlords willing to accept them, as Word In Black reporter Jennifer Porter Gore reported.
Black Impact
Courtney Johnson Rose, the Houston resident and president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, believes Trump’s impact on housing will be significant.
“The impact of a second Trump term on housing will be tremendous,” said Rose. “I anticipate less funding for HUD and programs that address homelessness and assistance for low and moderate-income families, as well as a decrease in protection for protected classes, which include race, gender, and sexual orientation.”
Rose also sees potential housing positives under Trump.
“On the brighter side, I anticipate more development of housing, incentives for developers and home builders to boost the amount of inventory which is needed to increase opportunities for homeownership and to manage the rising cost of buying.
Rose also has concerns about the effectiveness of a Trump plan with the potential elimination of a very large percentage of the construction labor force (undocumented immigrants) through mass deportation. She cites a potential labor shortage, labor costs increases, and inflation due to the effect of tariffs, forcing interest rates to stay high.
EDUCATION
Staying on brand, Trump nominated someone with no education experience to head the Department of Education, Linda McMahon, co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
Yet, she does have experience consistent with Trump and several of his other nominees—accusations of sexual harassment.
That aside, McMahon is all in on school “Choice,” a movement that wants public tax dollars used to fund private school tuitions, which are generally beyond the budgets of most Black households. In a statement, Trump said McMahon “will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best education decisions for their families.”
Black Impact
“McMahon’s confirmation, however, could be bad news for Black K-12 students in public schools, affecting everything from school funding to civil rights protections for vulnerable groups, including students who identify as LGBTQ+,” wrote Word In Black Education Reporter Quintessa Williams.
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
Besides U.S. Congress, the person who heads the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has immense power over nearly the entire government. For, nothing can happen without funding.
That said, Trump’s nominee Russell Vought, known as the primary architect of Project 2025, has many Black people concerned. To them, Vought poses a direct threat to decades of advancements in civil rights for minorities and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Black Impact
As OMB head, Vought could potentially oversee the national dismantling of DEI programs and civil rights enforcement mechanisms. Additionally, Vought could exacerbate existing healthcare access disparities by proposing budget cuts and policy changes that could disproportionately impact minority communities. Vought is on record promoting more restrictive immigration policies. These will impact both Brown and Black immigrants and their families.
