President-elect Donald Trump has been making waves announcing cabinet picks for his administration, but Politico reports a potential nominee from North Carolina could “reassure ag interests alarmed by” his more controversial picks.
Indeed, insiders told Politico the stock of Ray Starling, currently general counsel at NC Chamber and president of the NC Chamber Legal Institute, is rising as the search for nation’s next Secretary of Agriculture nears completion.
Starling is no stranger to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), or the Trump administration, for that matter; he served as a special advisor and chief of staff to Trump Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue during former’s first administration and more recently was an advisor to the 2024 Trump campaign on agricultural and rural issues.
Prior to that, Starling — a graduate of NC State University with a BS in agriculture and UNC Chapel Hill School of Law — served as chief of staff and general counsel to US Sen. Them Tillis, R-NC, having also served as Tillis’ general counsel when the now senator was Speaker of the NC House of Representatives.
Starling served for five years as general counsel for the NC Department of Agriculture, as well.
In the two weeks since Trump’s election victory, the presidential transition team has been raising eyebrows with some non-conventional picks for his cabinet. While attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz is making plenty of headlines, those in the agricultural industry could be more unnerved by the selection of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
According to Trump team insiders, Starling is seen as a reassuring pick to allay the concerns of conservative agriculture groups which nervously view RFK Jr as an uncertain disruptor. The North Carolina native would bring “mainstream credibility” to the table with a candidate that has solid experience operating in the space as well as being a trusted advisor to the president.
Of Starling, when being named chief of staff for the USDA in 2018, Sec. Perdue said, “Ray enjoys a strong reputation in the agricultural community and already has been working closely with USDA as a leading voice for agriculture in the administration. USDA and its customers will be well-served by his guidance.”
Starling also briefly served alongside Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow, the former director of the National Economic Council, as the former advised the council on rural and agricultural issues.
“While our time to work together has been brief, I have come to know Ray as a trusted adviser on issues near and dear to the heart of the American farmer,” Kudlow said in a statement upon Starling’s hiring as USDA chief of staff. “We will miss his expertise, his southern charm, and the sincerity with which he approached his work. Secretary Perdue has gained a fierce advocate for agriculture, and I wish Ray the very best.”
Secretary of Agriculture was one of the last cabinet positions to be confirmed in Trump’s first term. In the president-elect’s second term, their pick to head the USDA could very well be a North Carolinian.
