President Trump announced on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, the selection of Pastor Darrell Scott to serve as an adviser for tobacco health issues on a committee that advises the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Scott, a senior pastor for the New Spirit Revival Center and longtime supporter of the president, will serve in a role Trump said would ensure a look at how to protect citizens from tobacco products while supporting harm-reduction solutions. The announcement was made via a post on the social media platform Truth Social.
Scott has been a supporter of Trump since 2016 and co-founded the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. Although he previously identified himself as a "senior advisor" to the president, this appointment marks his first official role within the administration. The announcement cited Scott’s advocacy for underserved communities as a factor for his selection. The Department of Health and Human Services has not yet provided comment on Scott's health policy expertise.
In the Truth Social post, Trump stated that tobacco-related disease has long impacted American families and communities that are "overlooked and underserved." Scott shared the announcement on his social media profiles but did not provide additional comments.
The appointment places Scott within a committee that advises the head of the CDC. The Trump administration has ended the CDC’s "Tips From Former Smokers" advertising campaign and shifted the status of the Office on Smoking and Health to what reports describe as a "zombie program." Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing authorization to several flavored tobacco pouches on the basis that they are less harmful than cigarettes.
RAI Services Co., a subsidiary of Reynolds American—which owns Newport and Camel brands—was the largest corporate donor to Trump’s 2024 campaign. While the effective date of Scott's role was not explicitly stated in the announcement, he was named to the role on Tuesday.