Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) signaled Wednesday that he’s “ready and willing” to simply accept a job regarding agriculture in President-elect Trump’s administration, however he shot down a rumor that he has already accepted a job as Agriculture secretary.
“President Trump’s resounding victory secured a mandate for big ideas like reversing chronic disease, conserving our land, and empowering American farmers. His campaign unified many neglected constituencies, from the Amish who just want to be left alone to grow healthy food, to parents who want more access to nutritious food for their families,” Massie mentioned in an announcement on the social platform X.
“I stand ready and willing to help the President with any part of his bold agenda to focus on the health and well being of Americans, but I have received no commitments or offers from President Trump’s team, and any discussion of the transition are premature,” Massie mentioned.
His assertion comes after Joel Salatin, a self-described “Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer” who runs Polyface Farms in western Virginia, wrote on his weblog that Massie could be Agriculture secretary within the Trump administration.
“I’ve been contacted by the Trump transition team to hold some sort of position within the USDA and have accepted one of the six ‘Advisor to the Secretary’ spots. My favorite congressman, Thomas Massie from Kentucky, has agreed to go in as Secretary of Agriculture,” Salatin mentioned.
Massie has a blended historical past with the previous president. He drew Trump’s ire when he pressured lawmakers to return to Washington in March of 2020 as he tried to power a recorded vote on a COVID-19 aid invoice that Trump needed swiftly handed. However Trump and Massie have since repaired their relationship and endorsed one another of their elections.
Massie himself has an off-the-grid dwelling in Kentucky the place he retains chickens and grows meals on his property. Lately, Massie has been praising the advantages of uncooked milk versus pasteurized milk, regardless of warnings from authorities well being authorities about dangers of foodborne diseases.
Trump’s marketing campaign didn’t instantly reply to an inquiry about Massie’s potential place within the former and future president’s subsequent administration.
