Trump: Sonny Perdue will be 'great' Agriculture secretary

NEW YORK — Donald Trump wrapped up his initial Cabinet nominations Thursday, tapping former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue to be secretary of Agriculture.

Predicting that Perdue would "accomplish great things" at the Department of Agriculture, Trump said in a statement: "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.”

Perdue, 70, who served on Trump's agricultural advisory committee during his presidential campaign, said he began as "a simple Georgia farm boy," and understands the needs of farmers nationwide.

"Making sure Americans who make their livelihood in the agriculture industry are thriving is near and dear to my heart," Perdue said in a statement, "and I’m going to champion the concerns of American agriculture and work tirelessly to solve the issues facing our farm families in this new role.”

While all Trump nominees for Cabinet-level jobs now await Senate confirmation, a number of deputy and mid-level slots remain unfilled as the president-elect prepares to take the oath of office on Friday.

If all of his nominees are confirmed, Trump's Cabinet would be the first since the Ronald Reagan era to lack a Latino member.

Transition spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump will have a large team overall, and "there's going to be a tremendous number of Hispanics to fill those posts."

Spicer also said the question should be whether Trump is "hiring the best and the brightest." He said the incoming president is putting together a government with “a diversity of gender, a diversity of thinking, a diversity of ideology. It’s not just about skin color or ethnic background.”

Contributing: Gregory Korte

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