Trump’s Campaign Continues Elevating the Roles of Female Celebrities to Feign Inclusion

Former Disney Channel star Caroline Sunshine has joined Donald Trump’s administration and accepted a large role in his presidential campaign.

Sunshine was a child actor whose breakthrough came with the popular Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up. She starred alongside Zendaya and Bella Thorne in the show, portraying the flamboyant foreign exchange student Tinka Hessenheffer. After her stint on Shake It Up, she went on to guest star on shows like A.N.T. Farm and Fish Hooks. However, she chose not to continue acting as an adult, with the 2015 movie The Outfield marking her last significant role. Instead, she decided to pursue a political career within the Republican Party.

Sunshine has a long history with Trump. She secured an internship in the White House during Trump’s presidency and was soon promoted to a full-time position as a press assistant. Since then, she has worked with the press teams on Eric Doden’s gubernatorial campaign in Indiana and Vivek Ramaswamy’s 2024 presidential campaign. However, now that Trump is the official Republican presidential nominee, Sunshine has returned to his administration.

What is Caroline Sunshine’s role in Trump’s campaign?

With Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign underway, Sunshine was rehired to serve on his team. This time around, she is serving as his campaign’s Deputy Communications Director. The role of Deputy Communications Director means she’ll be deeply involved in Trump’s communication strategy and managing media relations, press requests, and social media activity. She’ll essentially be considered a spokesperson for Trump. Sunshine has already been seen in action, speaking to media outlets, such as NPR, on behalf of his campaign.

Those unfamiliar with her political career may have been surprised at the announcement of her role in Trump’s campaign since she is openly pansexual. It’s no secret that the MAGA movement is notoriously anti-LGBTQ+. If Trump gets into office, we can expect, at the very least, heightened book bans and restrictions on school curricula that attempt to erase the LGBTQ+ community. Some might find it surprising that she supports him even though he and his followers have frequently targeted her community.

Her role is sadly reminiscent of Amber Rose’s sudden endorsement of Trump, despite the fact that MAGA hates women and much of her work has focused on fighting slut-shaming and victim-blaming of women. Moments after giving a speech at the RNC in which she claimed MAGA was “all love,” MAGA supporters began launching disgusting misogynistic attacks on Rose.

While the party, fortunately, has not yet had this disgusting response to Sunshine, one can’t help but fear that the party is still using her in the same way as Rose. The campaign is seemingly elevating the roles of female celebrities who are BIPOC or members of the LGBTQ+ community in an attempt to feign diversity and inclusion and secure more votes.