Massie signals he is open to agriculture role in Trump administration

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) signaled Wednesday that he is “ready and willing” to accept a role concerning agriculture in President-elect Trump’s administration, but he shot down a rumor that he has already accepted a role 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 said in a statement 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 said.

His statement comes after Joel Salatin, a self-described “Christian libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer” who runs Polyface Farms in western Virginia, wrote on his blog that Massie would be Agriculture secretary in 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 said.

Massie has a mixed history with the former president. He drew Trump’s ire when he forced lawmakers to return to Washington in March of 2020 as he tried to force a recorded vote on a COVID-19 relief bill that Trump wanted swiftly passed. But Trump and Massie have since repaired their relationship and endorsed each other in their elections.

Massie himself has an off-the-grid home in Kentucky where he keeps chickens and grows food on his property. Recently, Massie has been praising the benefits of raw milk versus pasteurized milk, despite warnings from government health authorities about risks of foodborne illnesses.

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry about Massie’s potential place in the former and future president’s next administration.