Donald Trump has nominated his ally Brooke Rollins as Agriculture Secretary, adding the head of the pro-Trump right-wing think tank America First Policy Institute to his cabinet, completing a fast-paced and eventful nomination process, on Sunday, the 24th of November, reports the BBC.
“As the next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will lead efforts to protect American farmers, the backbone of our country,” Trump said in a statement on Saturday.
Brook Rollins, a former White House adviser with a background in agriculture and law, will oversee farm programmes, nutrition policy and trade negotiations if confirmed, including talks on renegotiating a trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico that could include the imposition of Trump’s promised tariffs.
Rollins’ nomination completes Trump’s cabinet, a group of 15 advisers, each of whom heads a bureaucratic department in the US government.
Each nominee will still need to be confirmed by the Senate. But some of his nominations have surprised.
For example, Robert Kennedy Jr, a former environmental lawyer and vaccine sceptic, has been nominated to head the Department of Health and Human Services after he ran for president this year but later dropped out of the race and backed Trump. If confirmed, he will oversee agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
And former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. But he withdrew his nomination and resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor, sexual solicitation and illegal drug use.
The media reported that the Senators made it clear that it would be difficult to confirm Gaetz in view of the allegations, but he denied any wrongdoing and said he had withdrawn because he had become a “distraction”. Trump wasted no time and quickly nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the post.
Another candidate, Pete Hegseth, has also been embroiled in scandal after a police report revealed new details about an alleged sexual assault of a woman that the former Fox News anchor encountered in 2017. Hegseth is the nominee for Secretary of Defence.
Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing and says the meeting was consensual. He has never been arrested or charged.
The nominee for Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, was also criticised for her lack of experience in the field of education.
Among others, Trump nominated Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff and Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. Doug Burgum has been nominated to head the Department of the Interior.
Former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins has been nominated to head the US Department of Veterans Affairs and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been nominated to be Secretary of Homeland Security.
Sean Duffy, former Congressman and Fox Business host, has been nominated to head the Department of Transportation. Chris Wright has been nominated to head the Department of Energy. Howard Lutnick has been nominated to head the US Department of Commerce.
Scott Bessent is nominated to head the US Treasury Department. Russell Vought has been selected to head the Office of Management and Budget, a post he held during Trump’s first term.
Trump has selected Lori Chavez-DeRemer to head the US Department of Labour. Scott Turner has been nominated to head the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In addition, Trump’s cabinet includes other key positions with cabinet-level status, such as the nomination of Tom Homan to oversee the nation’s borders, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to be Ambassador to the UN and former Congressman Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Trump has selected Representative Mike Waltz as National Security Adviser and former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe as Director of the CIA. As well as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, nominated to head the Department of Government Effectiveness.