Trump to tap America First Policy Institute leader for USTR chief ag negotiator

President Donald Trump will nominate Doug Hoelscher, an Iowa veteran of the George W. Bush and first Trump administrations, to serve as chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, according to three people familiar with White House plans. Prior to joining AFPI in 2021, Hoelscher held two positions during the first Trump administration, first as the deputy director of White House intergovernmental affairs, then as the assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs. He also worked for the state of Iowa in the Office of State-Federal Relations, according to his LinkedIn, the consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers, and held multiple positions in the Department of Homeland Security during the George W. Bush administration. If nominated, Hoelscher would join a pipeline of AFPI personnel that have headed into government. In addition to Rollins, Education Secretary Linda McMahon was also at the think tank before joining the administration as education secretary and Attorney General Pam Bondi led the group’s legal arm.