Donald Trump finalizes his government with the appointment of his secretary of agriculture

American President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday, November 23, that he had appointed his secretary of agriculture, the last position that had not yet been assigned within his government. The one who was appointed is Brooke Rollins, president of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) think tank.

A lawyer, she was director of the White House Domestic Policy Council at the end of Mr. Trump's first term, before founding AFPI in 2021 with other figures close to the Republican candidate, Larry Kudlow and Linda McMahon, herself appointed Minister of Education.

“Brooke’s commitment to American farmers, to defending America’s food self-sufficiency and to revitalizing small towns dependent on agriculture is unparalleled”said Donald Trump in a press release. “Its mission will be to protect our farmers, the true backbone of our country. »

As head of the Department of Agriculture, Ms Rollins will oversee the government's agricultural and food programs, food research and trade as well as food safety, animal welfare and plant health.

Brooke Rollins, 52, is a traditional conservative who could find herself in conflict with Health Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has pledged to improve the quality of America's diet and who wants to reduce chemicals and ultra-processed food.

The new agriculture secretary had for a time been seen as a potential chief of staff for the president-elect, before the position was ultimately given to Susie Wiles.

4,000 federal administration positions to be renewed

With this appointment and the series announced Friday evening, Donald Trump has completed his government and will now be able to set about assigning the main positions in the federal administration, some 4,000 of which are renewed during an alternation in the White House.

The future American president quickly appointed his main ministers, rewarding in particular those who remained loyal to him in recent years, when he was faced with several legal investigations and trials. This is notably the case of Secretary of State, Senator Marco Rubio, of the now former Fox News presenter Pete Hegseth on defense and of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, who finally withdrew to side with Donald Trump.

A few government positions still remain unallocated for the time being, such as the head of small and medium-sized enterprises, or that of the science and technology office. The post of White House trade representative is also currently unassigned, but the new Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, is supposed to supervise these teams, which traditionally report directly to the presidency.