Donald Trump

Texas Ag. Commissioner to Interview for Trump Cabinet

Sid Miller, of Stephenville, will travel to Mar-A-Lago Thursday

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller traveled to Florida Thursday for an interview with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team regarding the Cabinet-level position of Secretary of Agriculture.

Miller, called "Donald Trump’s biggest cheerleader" by his own spokesperson, has been an outspoken supporter of Trump since early in the primary campaign.

“I was out there when it wasn’t really popular, when a lot of people — a lot of elected officials — kind of treated Donald Trump like he was radioactive,” Miller said Thursday, prior to leaving North Texas for Palm Beach, Florida, and Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate.

The agriculture secretary position is one of the final Cabinet-level positions to be filled by the President-elect.

Dressed in his signature cowboy hat and six-shooter lapel pin, Miller, a Republican from Stephenville, emphasized his ties to Texas — an important Republican stronghold — and that as Agriculture Commissioner he has made great strides in the Lone Star State in the area of improving the market for locally-grown produce and streamlining the application and inspection process for a food producer to earn “organic” status.

A prolific presence on social media, who has drawn more than a fair amount of criticism for his tendency to share “fake news,” Miller said he likens his approach to that of Donald Trump, who he said, “Tells it like it is.”

Recently, Miller shared a Washington Post article titled “Trump doesn’t threaten only President Obama’s legacy. He could ruin Michelle Obama’s, too.” to his Facebook page, and its 367,000 followers, that he said is indicative of the approach he would take to the Secretary of Agriculture position.

“If reversing policies that removed school nutrition decision making from locally elected school boards, superintendents, principals, teachers, and parents, and rolling back policies that created healthy trash cans instead of healthy kids means ruining Michelle Obama's legacy than count me in,” Miller wrote. “In Texas we have empowered local school districts to make school nutrition decisions that are best for their districts and the children in their care. We don't need bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. or in Austin, Texas telling us how to raise our kids!”

Among the policies Miller is referencing are his efforts as Agriculture Commissioner to reverse a statewide ban on soft drinks and fried food in public schools. Miller did so arguing that local school districts should have the power to make decisions on food choices at the local level.

About his impending job interview, Miller said he is not entirely sure what to expect — whether it will be much like a formal job interview or more of a casual conversation with members of the transition team. But Miller is adamant he did not have his sights set on this move when he decided to back Donald Trump.

“It never really entered my mind during the campaign. My sole focus was getting to the winner’s circle. It’s kind of like a dog chasing the bus. We were chasing the bus and then, I’ll be darned, we caught it. And then we have to figure out what to do with the bus,” Miller said with a laugh. “So that’s when the negotiation started and then the talks. But I certainly didn’t join the Trump team looking for a place in the Cabinet. I’ve got a really good deal and I love the job I’m doing.”

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