Donald Trump press secretary Sean Spicer defends lack of diversity in incoming administration

He insisted that the 'totality' mostly white male administration will be among the most diverse

Spicer alluded to the three people of colour named to the Cabinet as evidence of its diversity (Joe Raedle/Getty )

Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended the lack of diversity amongst President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

Mr Spicer claimed that the transition team focused on recruiting the “best and brightest” to serve in their roles in the new executive branch. He asserted that the Cabinet will be among the most diverse in American history.

The President-elect drew criticism for the nomination of former Georgia Gov Sonny Perdue to the Secretary of Agriculture post, making his administration the first in almost three decades to have a Latino serve among its senior ranks.

“I think that when you look at the totality of his administration … you see a president who is committed to uniting this country who is bringing the best and the brightest together,” Mr Spicer told reporters in his final press briefing before entering the White House.

He specifically pointed to the three people of colour among the 15 Cabinet picks – Dr Ben Carson, Elaine Chao, and Gov Nikki Haley – as evidence of the diversity of Mr Trump’s administration. Mr Spicer added that some 5,000 jobs will likely bill filled with a wide array of cultures.

“It’s not just about skin colour or ethnic heritage,” he said, “I think you can start to pick out one group and say, ‘Where’s the percentage of that?’ … but when you look at the totality of the diversity [in the administration] that he’s bringing in this, I would say that it’s something that you could hold up second to none.”

If the Senate approves all nominees, Mr Trump’s cabinet will shape up to be the whitest and most male since the Ronald Reagan administration that ended in January 1989.

The last Republican president, George W Bush, was celebrating for having the most ethnically diverse GOP administration ever. And both Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama entered the office with a large percentage of female and non-white appointees to their cabinets.

Mr Trump’s exclusion of Latinos from high levels in his administration draws concern from Latino groups, especially given that he launched his campaign with a racist tirade against Mexican immigrants – whom he referred to as rapists, criminals, and drug traffickers.

“We have always had Democratic and Republican presidents speak to us,” Brent Wilkes, the executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, told CNN. “Him not speaking to the Latino community is dividing this country.”

National Hispanic Leadership chair Hector Sanchez added: “It is unacceptable that he has yet to build a relationship with Latino and Muslim communities that he has targeted the most throughout his campaign.

“Communities that are now suffering because of the things he said.”