Ja'Ron Smith, Trump's highest-ranking Black aide, is leaving the White House
- Ja'Ron Smith, an aide to President Donald Trump since 2017, on Friday left the White House, he confirmed in a statement.
- Smith was the highest-ranking Black member of the president's cabinet and his departure comes days after the 2020 election, which Insider and Decision Desk HQ project former Vice President Joe Biden won.
- Smith worked closely with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and on projects aimed at connecting the administration to the Black community, Bloomberg News reported.
- In a statement, Smith said his departure was planned "long before the election."
Ja'Ron Smith, who since 2017 served in the White House first as director of urban affairs and revitalization and later as deputy assistant to the president, has left the White House as of Friday, Bloomberg News first reported.
Smith was the Trump administration's highest-ranking Black member of the president's staff, becoming such in 2018 with Omarosa Manigault Newman exited the Trump administration, as The Hill noted. In August, Smith spoke in favor of Trump's reelection, saying he had "seen his true conscience."
"When joining the Trump Administration, I set out to achieve the empty promises of the past, and I am proud to say promises made, promises kept," Smith said in a Friday statement posted to Twitter, confirming his departure. "In four years, President Trump has delivered for Black America; record low unemployment, Opportunity Zones, criminal justice reform, historic funding for HBCUs, and the list goes on."
Smith said his decision to leave the White House "was made in consultation with my family (one that will be growing very soon with the addition of twins), and given the blessing of my beloved colleagues at the White House long before the election."
Smith's exit comes days after Tuesday's general election, where Insider and Decision Desk HQ project that former Vice President Joe Biden has won, ousting Trump to become the president-elect. President Trump has so far refused to concede and announced a number of legal challenges in key states, including Pennsylvania and Arizona.
During his time in the White House, Smith worked closely with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and on projects related to the administration's relationship with the Black community, including securing funding for historically Black colleges and universities and working on criminal justice sentencing reform, Bloomberg News reported.