(WASHINGTON D.C.) — As folks are lining up to try and secure a spot in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, speculation has already been rolling on who might be the next Secretary of Agriculture come January.
Some of the top names on the list for weeks now have included Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller, former ambassador Kip Tom and NASDA CEO Ted McKinney. During the first Trump Administration, Miller was in the running for the position until it ultimately went to Sonny Perdue. Tom, who currently co-leads the Farmers and Ranchers for Trump Coalition, was the U.S. ambassador to the UN agencies for food and agriculture in Rome during the first Trump Administration. And McKinney was the undersecretary for trade in the first administration before taking his current role as CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA).
Other names being mentioned as potential picks for Secretary of Agriculture include North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, whose term expires in December. Also being mentioned is former House Ag Committee chariman Mike Conaway of Texas, Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky and Abel Maldonado, former Lieutenant Governor of California and experienced agricultural businessman. Maldonado was previously considered for the USDA role during Trump’s first term.
Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a contender. The environmental attorney and recent Trump endorser has shown interest in influencing agriculture and health policies, though his role in USDA discussions remains speculative. He did, however, post a video standing in front of the USDA the week before election, with the caption reading “When President Trump gets me inside the USDA, we’re going to give farmers an off-ramp from the current system that destroys soil, makes people sick, and harms family farms.”
Another agriculture leader that could be considered is Georgia farmer Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation since 2016. Duvall was seen as a leader for the ag sector during Trump’s first term, and throughout President Biden’s as well.
Incoming presidents typically try to announce their nominees before the year-end holidays, although Trump didn’t announce Sonny Perdue to lead USDA until two days before his inauguration. On Thursday, Trump announced his campaign chair Susie Wiles will become his Chief of Staff, the first woman to ever hold that position in the White House.
