By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- New adviser: Pastor Darrell Scott will advise the Trump administration on tobacco health issues through a CDC advisory committee.
- Harm reduction: Trump said Scott’s work will examine how to protect Americans from dangerous tobacco products while supporting harm-reduction solutions.
- Longtime ally: Scott, a Cleveland pastor and longtime Trump adviser, has worked with Trump since before his first administration.
Tobacco policy is getting a pastor at the table.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Pastor Darrell Scott will serve as an adviser on tobacco health issues to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee to the Director, placing a longtime political and faith adviser in a new role focused on tobacco-related disease and harm reduction.
“I am pleased to announce that Pastor Darrell Scott, a longtime friend, respected Faith Leader, and tireless Advocate for America’s Underserved Communities, will be serving my Administration and me as an Advisor for tobacco health issues on the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) in the CDC,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump specifically linked Scott’s appointment to tobacco-related health disparities and to harm reduction. “For far too long, tobacco-related disease has taken an enormous toll on American Families, including Communities that have too often been overlooked and underserved,” Trump said.
Trump added that Scott’s work would help the administration “take a serious look at how we can better protect Americans from dangerous tobacco products while supporting solutions to reduce harm and SAVE LIVES.”
The reference to harm reduction could be significant for the nicotine industry as the Trump administration continues to shape its approach to cigarettes, vaping, nicotine pouches, and other lower-risk alternatives. Tuesday, Trump did not provide details about which policies Scott would examine or what the administration considers harm-reduction solutions.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee to the Director is broader than a tobacco-specific panel. It advises the HHS secretary and the CDC director on public health policy and strategies for disease prevention, health promotion, and preparedness. Its responsibilities include recommending ways to prioritize CDC activities, improve performance, and address health disparities.
The committee is also distinct from the Food and Drug Administration’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TSRC), which advises the FDA on tobacco product science and regulatory matters.
Scott is the founder and senior pastor of New Spirit Revival Center, a nondenominational church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He has a long-standing relationship with Trump and served on Trump’s 2016 presidential transition executive committee. He has also been involved in outreach to Black communities and underserved populations.
Trump called Scott a “GREAT LEADER” who has been with him “from the very beginning.”
The White House announcement did not specify when Scott will formally begin his advisory role or provide additional details on the tobacco-health agenda he will pursue.
