Country star John Rich has been officially sworn in as Special Envoy for American Landowners, according to a White House social media post Friday (July 10).
The post shows the Big & Rich member being sworn in surrounded by his family and shaking hands with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
Earlier Friday, Rich also posted heralding the ceremony: “Today, I’ll be sworn in as ‘Special Envoy for American Landowners’ by President Trump at the Oval. My family will be there with me! (My Dad bought his first new suit in 25 years). I greatly thank @realDonaldTrump for giving me the opportunity to fight for my fellow Americans.”
Rich also quote-tweeted the White House post, adding alongside an American-flag emojio: “Let’s get to work.”
Though the swearing-in did not take place until Friday, Brooke Rollins, secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, announced Rich’s appointment last month.
“America’s farmers, ranchers, and landowners are among the greatest stewards of our nation’s resources and the backbone of our rural communities,”said Rollins, in a statement posted on the USDA site on June 10. “President Trump understands that private property rights are fundamental to the American way of life. John Rich has long been a champion for rural America, and I look forward to working alongside him as we continue fighting for the people who feed, fuel, and clothe our nation.”
In his role, according to the USDA, Rich will engage with and advocate for farmers, ranchers and private landowners and “engage directly with landowners across the country and work to address challenges posed by government overreach, activist pressure campaigns, and outside interests that threaten private property rights and the long-term viability of rural communities.”
Those threats, according to the release, include “pressure related to large-scale solar and wind development that may impact productive farmland, ranchland, and rural livelihoods.”
Rich, an ardent Trump supporter, has turned to song in the past to express his feelings about perceived government overreach including in “The Devil & The TVA,” a song he released last September. The tune criticizes the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally owned public utility established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933. Rich fought against the TVA’s plan to build a methane gas facility in Tennessee’s Cheatham County that would impact local farmland.
“President Trump has afforded me the great honor of serving as Special Envoy for American Landowners,” said Rich, in a statement. “I look forward to representing and advocating for landowners’ rights and standing up for the farmers, ranchers, and rural families who work every day to provide for our country. Protecting private property rights and ensuring that landowners are not harassed, intimidated, or pressured by outside interests will be at the heart of this mission.”
