Donald Trump has announced that he has nominated former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue to be US secretary of agriculture, rounding out the president-elect’s cabinet picks on the eve of his inauguration.
With his inner circle finalised, Trump’s incoming cabinet will feature no Hispanics, the first time since Ronald Reagan’s presidency in the 1980s.
Perdue, 70, has considerable political experience, having been a state senator for a decade before serving two terms as governor of an agricultural state whose capital Atlanta is a major business hub.
He also worked as a veterinarian before becoming a small-business owner.
“Sonny Perdue is going to accomplish great things as secretary of agriculture,” Trump said in a statement announcing his pick.
“From growing up on a farm to being governor of a big agriculture state, he has spent his whole life understanding and solving the challenges our farmers face, and he is going to deliver big results for all Americans who earn their living off the land.”
The nomination of Perdue, which requires confirmation by the US Senate, is the final pick for Trump’s 15-member cabinet.
Another former governor, Rick Perry of Texas, has been tapped for the cabinet post of energy secretary, while South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is Trump’s pick to be ambassador to the United Nations, a position with cabinet rank.
Out of the 21 cabinet-rank positions already nominated by Trump, only four are women.
One is black and two are Asian-American.
Perdue: has considerable political experience.
