Trump ambassador nominee won't say if he believes Black Americans should be allowed to vote

President Donald Trump’s nominee to be ambassador to South Africa this week refused to say whether he would support or oppose repealing laws allowing Black Americans to vote.

During a Thursday Senate confirmation hearing, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) asked Trump nominee Brent Bozell, a right-wing media critic and founder of the conservative Media Research Center, about his support for Trump administration plans that limit refugee admissions almost exclusively to white Afrikaners.

“Senator, I don’t make that policy,” Bozell replied.

Murphy, however, did not accept this attempt at evasion.

“If I were to ask this question of virtually any nominee to be an ambassador, prior to this panel, that would be an easy layup answer: ‘No, no, of course we don’t support having a refugee policy where we only admit white people,’” said Murphy. “So why can’t you give me your personal view on that?”

“Because, senator, I am here to serve America and to do what the president is asking me to do,” Bozell said.

Murphy then asked him if he would support bringing back “laws in this country to only allow white people to vote.”

Bozell again refused to answer.

“Senator, I’m going to serve as ambassador to South Africa, and I’m going to focus on that,” he said.

“You will not share your personal views on whether it is right or wrong to reinstitute discriminatory policies in this country to prevent Black people from voting?” Murphy pressed.

“Senator, my personal views are irrelevant,” Bozell insisted. “I am serving here to do what the president is asking me to do in South Africa.”

Murphy rejected this premise, however, and informed Bozell that the entire point of the Senate confirmation process was to learn more about a nominee’s personal views so that senators can make informed decisions about their qualifications.

“We wouldn’t have this process if your personal views were not relevant,” Murphy said. “That is pretty stunning that you will not share your views, not only on whether we should have a refugee admissions process that is race-based, but you won’t share your personal views on whether we should reimpose discriminatory treatment against Black Americans. That is absolutely relevant to your qualifications to serve. And your refusal to answer it, I hope, is something that every member of this committee will think about.”

Commenting on the exchange afterward, Murphy wrote on Bluesky that Bozell’s answers to his questions offer “a window into the truly radical nature of the people Trump is nominating.”

Trump has falsely accused the South African government of committing “genocide” against its white citizens, and his administration has given white South Africans priority for resettlement in the US.

South Africa has a long history of racial injustice, as the apartheid system that lasted for more than four decades in the country brutally oppressed its majority Black population to ensure white minority rule.

Several wealthy Trump backers, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Palantir founder Peter Thiel, and venture capitalist David Sacks, were all either born in or spent time growing up in South Africa when it was still under the apartheid regime.