For the last three weeks, President-elect Donald Trump has announced an endless flurry of presidential cabinet appointments. The dozens of nominees have been defined by their devout loyalty to Trump — and, in some cases, they’ve been defined by the shocking nature of their selection — but there has been a noticeable lack of Texans in the lineup.
Until the past weekend, that is.
Clinching some of the final spots in Trump’s cabinet are Brooke Rollins, a conservative think tank leader who hails from Glen Rose, and Scott Turner, who represented Frisco in the Texas House for two terms. Rollins will lead the Department of Agriculture, and Turner was chosen to head up the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Both Texans are well acquainted with the Trump-administration ethos, and both will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before taking over their respective departments.
They Seemed Like a Shoo-In
It was a safe bet to say at least one Texan would make it into Trump’s second cabinet, but Rollins and Turner definitely weren’t the leading picks. (And before you say that Elon Musk was the first Texan to join the Trump Cabinet, get a grip. While he may call Austin home, Musk has a long way to go before being adopted as a son of the Lone Star State.)
Earlier this year, the President-elect boasted that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was “absolutely” on his short list for Vice President and was “a spectacular man.” Abbott later voiced some trepidation about taking on the role, saying he intended to remain focused on Texas.
The more likely appointment, it seemed, was Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton. Every media outlet under the sun seemed convinced that Paxton was in the final lineup the nation's lead law enforcement official. (The Observer attended a debate night watch party in September at which Paxton made an appearance. Asked whether he would be the next A.G., he responded “I don't know whether I’d be asked. … If I had that opportunity, there would be some serious changes [to the justice department.]”)
When Matt Gaetz, Trump’s initial nominee for attorney general, pulled his name out of consideration last week, we were fully expecting Paxton’s name to be blasted across breaking news banner alerts. Instead, Paxton was overlooked a second time as Trump appointed former Florida Attorney Gen. Pam Bondi to the role.
The appointment of Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller as head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture was another position that seemed to be highly possible until it wasn’t. Miller, a MAGA hardliner, is known to spend time at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago club. He nearly landed the job in 2016 before Trump was advised to “pick someone who can actually run the department.”
“It’s an honor to be included in the Secretary of Agriculture discussion,” Miller told Politico earlier this year.
What You Should Know About the “Bestie” Duo Headed to D.C.
It appears the Texas duo joining the Trump cabinet are joining the administration as a package deal. After Turner’s appointment was announced, Rollins tweeted support for her “brother and bestie of 25 years.”
Rollins currently serves as the president of the America First Policy Institute, a think tank dedicated to promoting Trump. Prior to that position she headed the Texas Public Policy Foundation based in Austin. During Trump’s first campaign in 2016, Rollins served on the Economic Advisory Council in a variety of roles for which Trump praised her performance.
In a post to social media, Rollins called the nomination “the honor of her life.”
“When people ask about my upbringing in a tiny town of 1,200 people on the plains of Texas, and how I ended up in the last White House with President Trump, I answer with three things: One, God, two, my single mom who taught us that anything is possible with hard work, and three, my [agriculture] teacher, Gary Rosenbusch, and the Future Farmers of America,” Rollins posted to X, ending her message with a #mAGa.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker posted a word of congratulations for Rollins, stating that there is “no one more qualified and prepared to lead the Department of Agriculture.”
Like Rollins, Turner has been a Trump supporter since the first administration. He served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, where he helped lead Trump's "Opportunity Zone" initiative. In a social media post announcing Turner’s appointment, Trump commended Turner for helping to “lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country's most distressed communities” during the first administration.
Turner brings a long list of qualifications to his leadership role for housing-related issues. As Fox News points out, they include the pick-six he scored against the Denver Broncos while a defensive back for the then-San Diego Chargers in 2000. Those Chargers were one of the worst teams in NFL history, but Turner’s 75-yard touchdown was a career highlight.
Wait, sorry, was Turner’s professional football record not what you had in mind here?
Following his professional football career, Turner, a Richardson native, ran an unsuccessful congressional campaign in California before being elected to the Texas House in 2013. He served two terms, and made a grab for House speaker but came up short at the end of his second stint. He did not seek reelection for a third term.
Turner currently works for the America First Policy Institute alongside Rollins. He is also listed as an associate pastor for Prestonwood Baptist Church, which has locations in Plano and Prosper. Prestonwood’s Senior Pastor Jack Graham led a dozen other pastors in praying over Trump at the National Faith Advisory Board summit in Georgia days before the election.
“What a glorious choice, Prestonwood’s own Scott Turner in the Trump cabinet,” Graham posted to social media over the weekend. “Great man who will do a tremendous job in this important responsibility.”
One More Thing …
We, like many other Dallas media outlets, have speculated about whether a certain city leader was vying for a spot in Trump’s administration.
Last week, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson appeared on Fox Business News to discuss his support for the President-elect; on election night, Johnson reveled in Palm Beach with the Trump crowd. Public expressions of loyalty to the President have been well-rewarded in the past, but it seems there is at least one skeptic MAGA who isn't buying what the Mayor is selling.
Laura Loomer, a far-right activist known to consort with Trump, took to X on Friday to declare Johnson a “WOKE RADICAL LEFTIST” who “cannot be trusted” as a true believer in the GOP.
“GOP donors are peddling around a diversity hire named Eric Johnson inside Mar-A-Lago in an effort to make him the next Secretary of HUD…. Why exactly?” Loomer posted. “He woke up 5 minutes ago and decided to be a political opportunist and changed his voter registration from Democrat to Republican after bashing Trump his entire political career.”
Ouch. Better luck next Republican administration, Mayor Johnson.
