CNN
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President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday announced one of his former policy advisers, Brooke Rollins, as his pick for secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

“Brooke’s commitment to supporting the American farmer, defending American food self-sufficiency and restoring America’s farm-dependent small towns is unprecedented,” Trump said in a statement.

CNN reported earlier Saturday that Trump was expected to choose Rollins after initially being ready to offer the post to businesswoman and former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler.

CNN reported Friday that Trump was about to offer the post to businesswoman and former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler, who met with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago on Friday afternoon. There had been several discussions between Loeffler and the transition team about the position. But Trump hesitated in announcing his Agriculture pick as he issued a slew of others Friday evening, raising questions about whether Loeffler was ultimately offered the post.

Rollins is the CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group with close ties to Trump’s transition team, and has been an outspoken supporter of the newly elected president.

She congratulated Trump on his election victory earlier this month, saying in a post on X: “We love you, Mr. President, and we are so proud to continue the fight for an America built around your America First vision .”

Rollins’ name had previously been floated as a potential White House chief of staff. But Rollins withdrew after it became clear that seeking the role would amount to a serious power struggle with Susie Wiles, who was eventually named to the position.

Rollins told the transition team that Secretary of Agriculture would be another role she would be interested in, a source familiar said. Trump and Rollins spoke about the role this week.

“As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke will lead efforts to protect America’s farmers, who are truly the backbone of our country,” Trump said in his statement on Saturday. “Congratulations Brook!”

During Trump’s first term, Rollins served as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. Previously, she served for fifteen years as president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank.

This story has been updated with new reporting.