Ja'Ron K. Smith

Ja'Ron K. Smith (born July 29, 1982) is an American political advisor. He has been an Assistant to the President for domestic policy since April 2019.[3][4][5] Smith had previously served as an advisor on Director of Urban Affairs and Revitalization from the beginning of the Trump administration in January 2017.[6]

Ja'Ron Smith
Personal details
Born (1982-07-29) July 29, 1982[1][2]
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationHoward University (BBA, MDiv)

Early life and education

Smith is a native of Cleveland, Ohio.[7][8] Smith's father worked in the construction industry during summers and as a snow-plower in the winters. Smith's mother was addicted to crack cocaine and left the family for three years before eventually getting clean and returning to work at a gas station.

Smith attended the Immaculate Conception School before being offered a football scholarship from St. Peter Chanel High School in Bedford, Ohio. During his high school football career, Smith was teammates with Bam Childress and Steve Cargile. Smith says he was recruited to play football by John Carroll University, but instead attended Howard University, studying Finance and Economics.[9] Smith then earned a Master of Divinity from the Howard University Divinity School.

Career

While in college, Smith worked as an intern for Congressman and former football player, J. C. Watts. Smith also worked for South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and then-U.S. Rep. Mike Pence.

In August of 2018, Smith's role in the White House was highlighted during questioning of Kellyanne Conway by Jonathan Karl on ABC’s This Week regarding the number of black people that President Trump's administration has in senior roles.[10] It emerged that Smith is the highest-ranking black aide in the White House Office.[11] CNN Digital Expansion ran a "who is" piece later that week.[12]

References
  1. Politico – BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Ja’Ron Smith, deputy assistant to the president
  2. The Plain Dealer – Cleveland native Ja’Ron Smith guides President Donald Trump’s urban policy
  3. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Appointments for the Executive Office of the President". The White House. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  4. "Domestic Policy Council, Staff Announcements | Federal Relations". www.washington.edu. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  5. Perlman, Derek Kravitz,Al Shaw,Claire. "Ja'Ron K. Smith | Trump Town". ProPublica. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  6. Bowden, John (2020-01-29). "Trump supporters giving away thousands of dollars at events in black communities: report". TheHill. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  7. "Domestic Policy Council, Staff Announcements". Federal Relations. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  8. Ja'Ron K. Smith 12.13.19., retrieved 2020-05-18
  9. Eaton, Sabrina; clevel; .com (2019-10-02). "Cleveland native Ja'Ron Smith guides President Donald Trump's urban policy". cleveland. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  10. Stanley-Becker, Isaac (13 August 2018). "A black adviser in Trump's West Wing? Kellyanne Conway is stumped". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  11. "Ja'Ron K. Smith, the White House's highest ranking African-American staffer. – Friends of the African Union". Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  12. Phillip & Klein, Abby & Betsy (16 August 2018). "Black in the White House: Meet Ja'Ron Smith". CNN. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
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