By Andrew Restuccia and Alex Leary
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to select Brooke Rollins, a former Trump administration policy adviser, to lead the Agriculture Department, according to people familiar with the matter.
Rollins is the president of the America First Policy Institute, a group led by former Trump administration officials that spent months planning for a potential second term. An ally of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, Rollins was once considered a contender to be White House chief of staff. But Susie Wiles, who helped run Trump's campaign, was chosen for that role.
During Trump's first term, Rollins led the Domestic Policy Council. A Texas native, she previously ran the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative-leaning think tank.
If confirmed, Rollins would likely play a role in discussions about Trump's plans for sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports, which could affect American farmers.
Representatives for Rollins and Trump's transition team didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump weighed choosing businesswoman Kelly Loeffler, who briefly served as a Georgia senator, to lead the Agriculture Department. But he is expected to choose Rollins instead, the people said.
Rollins, who spoke to Trump about the job this week, graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agriculture development and grew up on a farm.
The expected move comes as Trump is rapidly filling out his economic team, bringing into his administration a mix of loyalists and wealthy financiers. On Friday, the president-elect said he would nominate investor Scott Bessent as Treasury secretary and Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget. Earlier this week, Trump chose Cantor Fitzgerald chief executive Howard Lutnick to lead the Commerce Department.
Two key positions have not yet been announced: the director of the National Economic Council and the U.S. trade representative.
Write to Andrew Restuccia at andrew.restuccia@wsj.com and Alex Leary at alex.leary@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 23, 2024 12:20 ET (17:20 GMT)
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