Trump’s latest nominee is from NC. Here’s who else he’s picked from the state.
Happy Monday! Welcome to the Under the Dome newsletter. It’s Danielle Battaglia, back with another look at the week in Trump news.
President Donald Trump continues to tap North Carolinians to serve in his administration. On Thursday, Trump announced his latest pick: former Rep. Mark Walker. Trump nominated Walker to serve as ambassador at large for the Office of International Religious Freedom.
The ambassador at large for the Office of International Religious Freedom was created in 1998 and, by law, works to ensure international religious freedoms and make recommendations for the U.S. response when religious rights are violated.
“In his new role, Mark will work hard to expose Human Rights Violations, champion Faith, and help us secure Life Saving Results,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Walker, 55, represented the Triad in Congress from 2015 to 2021. Prior to his election, he served as pastor of arts and worship at Lawndale Baptist Church in Greensboro. And during the 2024 election, Walker served Trump’s campaign doing outreach to faith groups and minority communities, even after Trump twice snubbed Walker for an endorsement to return to Washington.
Walker now must go through the Senate confirmation process before he’s confirmed for his new role under the State Department.
The Walker announcement came the same week that the Trump administration announced that 38-year-old Dan Driscoll, a native of Banner Elk, would take a second role within the administration and lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Driscoll took over the role from FBI Director Kash Patel, who reportedly wasn’t showing up for work.
Driscoll, a college friend of Vice President JD Vance, had already been confirmed by the Senate to lead the Army.
Other North Carolinians with Trump administration nominations include:
Linda McMahon
McMahon, 76, a New Bern native, is the co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment and an East Carolina University graduate. Trump nominated her to lead — and dismantle — the Department of Education. She was confirmed by the Senate.
Former Rep. Dan Bishop
Bishop, 60, a Waxhaw resident, serves as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. Previously, he represented the Charlotte area in Congress from 2019 to 2025, but chose not to seek reelection and instead ran for attorney general, but was defeated by Jeff Jackson. Bishop’s nomination has been confirmed by the Senate.
Bo Hines
Hines, 29, a native of Charlotte, made two failed runs at Congress. He is now serving as executive director of the president’s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, which did not require a Senate confirmation.
Tariq Bokhari, former Charlotte City Council member
Bokhari, 45, a Charlotte resident, resigned his position on the council to become deputy administrator for the Federal Transit Administration. The position does not need Senate confirmation.
Laurie Buckhout
Voters may remember Buckhout, 63, from her failed congressional run to represent North Carolina’s far northeastern counties. Trump appointed Buckhout to serve as deputy assistant secretary for cyber policy at the Department of Defense. She announced on Thursday she is temporarily serving in a higher position as assistant secretary until Trump’s nominee for that job is confirmed by the Senate.
Cheryl Mason
Mason, 60, of Whispering Pines, is nominated to serve as assistant secretary of Veteran Affairs in the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. This is Mason’s second stint in the Trump administration. She previously worked in his first administration. She is awaiting Senate confirmation.
Daniel Zimmerman
Zimmerman, of North Carolina, is appointed to be assistant secretary of defense in the Defense Department. He is awaiting Senate confirmation.
Here are other stories from the week:
- Reps. Deborah Ross and Valerie Foushee, two of North Carolina’s four Democrats in the House, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking that he rethink his order to revoke visas for those from South Sudan. North Carolina is home to many people from Sudan and South Sudan, and this new policy could impact one of Duke’s star basketball players, Khaman Maluach. Steve Wiseman and I write more about this.
- The Trump administration terminated the visas of six students at UNC-Chapel Hill and six students from UNC Charlotte, Korie Dean and the Charlotte Observer’s Rebecca Noel reports.
- Sen. Thom Tillis wouldn’t stop making news last week. Former Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat running against Republican Tillis launched an ad accusing Tillis of voting for the Trump administration’s tariffs. Did he? And what did Tillis say as Trump announced changes to his new trade policy? I wrote about that here.
- Even before that, Tillis made headlines when he asked, “Whose throat do I need to choke if this proves to be wrong?” about Trump’s trade policy. But what did he mean by that? I explain.
In other (non-Trump) news:
- More Tillis: An expatriate who threatened to kill Tillis and his staff pleaded guilty to the crime in court Wednesday. Here’s more from me on that.
- Raleigh climate activist Timothy Martin faces up to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted him of smearing washable paint on a display case of Edgar Degas’ “Little Dancer Aged 14” at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, Josh Shaffer reports. Martin’s actions caused $4,000 in damage. Personal note: Degas is one of my favorite artists.
- Do you really need to have a REAL ID by May 7? Richard Stradling breaks down the answer to that, which largely depends on your circumstances.
And a reminder that we want to hear from our readers, especially if you’re personally being impacted by Trump’s new policies. That’s why we’ve created this form so you can get in touch with our staff and tell us your personal stories.
That’s it for now. Be kind to each other. And check back tomorrow for the Under the Dome podcast newsletter.
And if you have any feedback or tips for this new edition of the newsletter feel free to reach out to me directly at dbattaglia@mcclatchydc.com.
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