Donald Trump has nominated longtime colleague Brooke Rollins as secretary of agriculture, rounding out his cabinet list.
He made the announcement on Saturday afternoon, contacting the head of Maga-backed think tank, the America First Policy Institute about the project.
“As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will lead the effort to protect America’s Farmers, who are the backbone of our country,” Trump said in a statement.
His appointment marks the end of a whirlwind — and sometimes surprising — nomination to lead the agency.
Rollins has been a key Trump ally for years, as the founder and president of the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank.
A former White House aide during the president-elect’s first administration, he served as director of the Office of American Innovation and acting director of the Domestic Policy Council.
After growing up on a farm, Rollins quickly became involved with the Future Farmers of America in addition to 4H, a national agricultural club.
He graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural development and later worked as an attorney.
If confirmed by the Senate, he will oversee farm subsidies, nutrition programs, meat inspections and other aspects of the state’s farms, food and forestry industries.
He will also play a key role in renegotiating the trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico, which could include the imposition of tariffs promised by Trump.
Rollins’ appointment marks Trump’s final choice for his cabinet – a group of 15 advisers who each head a department of the US government.
Each nominee must be confirmed by the Senate.
Trump has chosen a number of cabinet options, from Maga loyalists to political rivals.
Other nominees — Robert Kennedy Jr. for the Department of Health and Human Services and Matt Gaetz for attorney general — have sparked outrage.
Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer and vaccine critic who opposed Trump as an independent before leaving office and endorsing him, will run the Food and Drug Administration.
Gaetz, a tumultuous former Florida senator who led the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, withdrew his nomination and resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor, solicitation of sex and illegal drug use.
The media reported that the chiefs made it clear that it would be difficult to convince Gaetz for this job. Gaetz denied wrongdoing, but said he withdrew from consideration because he was becoming a “distraction”.
Trump didn’t waste any time, he immediately appointed Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida to the position.
Another nominee, Pete Hegseth, has also been embroiled in scandal, after a police report revealed new details about the former Fox anchor’s alleged sexual assault with a woman in 2017.
Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing and says the meeting was consensual. He has never been arrested or charged.
Education secretary nominee Linda McMahon – a former World Wrestling Entertainment executive – has also been criticized for her lack of experience in education.
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