Trump appoints a pastor with no health experience as a tobacco advisor to the CDC

On September 1, 2026, Donald Trump announced the appointment of Pastor Darrell Scott, a longtime political ally with no public health experience, as an advisor on tobacco-related health issues to the advisory committee of the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The presidential announcement links protection against "harmful tobacco products" with support for "harm reduction solutions," a formulation that echoes the vocabulary promoted by the tobacco and nicotine industry. It comes after a series of federal decisions favorable to the industry and as federal smoking control programs emerge weakened from eighteen months of budget cuts and governance crises.

A nomination based on political proximity

Darrell Scott is the founder and senior pastor of the New Spirit Revival Center in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. His background encompasses religious leadership and political engagement: a close associate of Donald Trump since 2011, he co-founded the National Diversity Coalition for Trump and served on the 2016 presidential transition team.[1]-[2]. The press articles consulted highlight the lack of training or professional experience in public health, epidemiology, or tobacco product regulation.[3].

In his announcement, the president described Scott as a "respected religious leader" and a "tireless advocate" for "neglected and underserved" communities, stating that he would examine "how to better protect Americans from harmful tobacco products, while supporting solutions that reduce harm and save lives." The appointment is to the Advisory Committee to the Director, a generalist body that advises the CDC on public health policy and health inequalities. It is neither a regulatory role nor the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) scientific committee on tobacco products. No details were provided regarding the policies the advisor will review, the timeline for assuming the role, or the product categories targeted by the "harm reduction" mentioned.

A regulatory sequence favorable to industry

The president's reference to harm reduction is part of a series of decisions made in 2026. On May 6, 2026, the FDA authorized the sale of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes from the company Glas. According to the Wall Street Journal, the president personally intervened with FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who initially opposed the authorization. Mitch Zeller, former director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, stated that he was "deeply concerned" by a scientifically based decision that was "overturned by the commissioner's office" and then "aggravated by the president's personal intervention."«[4].

On May 11, 2026, the agency issued enforcement guidance allowing certain unauthorized flavored vaping products and nicotine pouches to remain on the market once an application has been submitted, without the FDA having to first evaluate the public health data provided. Mitch Zeller called the procedure "alarming," as the agency typically only bypasses the consultation phase in a public health emergency.[5]. On August 5, 2026, the FDA also authorized twenty Zyn nicotine pouch products to carry a modified risk statement, leading manufacturers to communicate about the reduced risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory illnesses associated with their products.[6].

The context of President Trump's political financing was documented by the New York Times: on April 30, 2026, Reynolds American donated $5 million to the MAGA Inc. political action committee, two days before a meeting between industry leaders and the president in Florida, and one week before the authorization of flavored e-cigarettes. The tobacco company had already donated $10 million to the 2024 campaign support committee, and vaping companies contributed more than $3 million to the nominating committee.[7]. The White House asserted that this payment was unrelated to the regulatory changes. These elements illustrate the type of interference that Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (which the United States has not ratified) specifically aims to prevent, by requiring the protection of public health policies from the commercial interests of the tobacco industry.

CDC weakened in the fight against tobacco

The appointment comes as federal smoking prevention capabilities have been drastically reduced. On April 1, 2025, the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) was dismantled, eliminating approximately 120 positions. This agency distributed $240 million annually to states and territories and oversaw the "Tips From Former Smokers" campaign, the National Youth Smoking Survey, and support for smoking cessation hotlines. The former director of the office, Tim McAfee, described the closure at the time as "the biggest gift to the tobacco industry in half a century."«[8].

Congress has reinstated a budget line of $246.5 million for fiscal year 2026, but the actual reconstitution of OSH remains uncertain: all staff had been laid off and part of the archives destroyed.[9]. The American Lung Association's State of Tobacco Control 2026 report assigns a grade of D[10] to federal tobacco product regulations and recalls that smoking causes more than 490,000 deaths annually in the United States, at a cost exceeding $600 billion.

The agency itself is experiencing a prolonged institutional crisis: several thousand departures since 2025, the removal of the director appointed in 2025 after a conflict with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., resignations of officials citing concerns about scientific independence, and the highly controversial confirmation in August 2026 of a new director, Erica Schwartz, by a vote of 51 to 44.[11].

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[1] «Trump Names Darrell Scott as CDC Tobacco Health Adviser, Citing Tobacco Risks and Harm Reduction Solutions,», 2 first, published on September 2, 2026

[2] Sophie Jager, The New Republic, «Trump Appoints Pastor With No Experience as CDC Tobacco Adviser,» New Republic, Published on September 1, 2026

[3] Joseph Choi, Trump names pastor as tobacco health adviser at CDC, The Hill, published on September 1, 2026

[4] Sarah Todd, Why the FDA is authorizing fruit-flavored vapes, Stat news, published on May 6, 2026, accessed on September 2, 2026

[5] Sarah Todd, No FDA permission, no problem: New flavored vape policy worries experts, Stat news, published on May 6, 2026, accessed on September 2, 2026

[6] Joseph Kim, Nicotine pouches can be marketed as 'lower risk' than cigarettes. Is that dangerous?, NPR, published August 5, 2026, accessed September 2, 2026

[7] Stephen Prager, Tobacco Company Gave $5 Million to Trump PAC Days Before FDA Approved Flavored Vapes, Published on May 21, 2020, accessed on September 2, 2026

[8] Sarah Todd, Why CDC cuts are being called 'the greatest gift to tobacco industry in the last half-century'‘, Stat News, published April 14, 2025, accessed September 2, 2026

[9] Stanton Glantz, «Congress revives CDC Office on Smoking and Health,», Published on February 5, 2026, accessed on September 2, 2026

[10] The American Lung Association's annual State of Tobacco Control report assesses federal action in five areas (tobacco product regulation, smoking cessation support, taxation, public awareness campaigns, and prevention funding) and assigns each a grade from A to F, with A corresponding to a policy that meets public health recommendations and F to a policy deemed insufficient.

[11] Pien Huang, Dr. Erica Schwartz confirmed as CDC director, filling a leadership vacuum, NRP, published on August 5, 2026, accessed on September 2, 2026