Op-Ed: Mayor R. Daniel Graves: President Trump is listening to rural America; Brooke Rollins is the proof

Brooke Rollins is proof that, when it comes to rural America, President Trump was listening where it matters most, Mayor R. Daniel Graves writes in his latest op-ed.

To so many in the beltway and in the far reaches of progressive America, it remains inconceivable that rural voters would, once again, voluntarily choose a second Trump administration.

Understanding it, however, doesn’t have to be complicated. One need only to stop talking and start listening.

For the past four years, rural America has been besieged with never ending promises of lower food and energy costs, better health care and more economic development. But despite these promises, and billions upon billions of dollars spent, these things have simply not happened.

Rural America has only seen life get harder and more expensive, all the while watching once trusted federal agencies abandon their fundamental purposes in pursuit of radical agendas. Even worse, any suggestion to the Biden administration from rural communities that this was not working, was met with the same indignation shown to journalists questioning the fidelity of the president’s promise not to pardon his own son.

This level of political disconnect was ultimately just too much, and in November, ninety-three percent of all rural precincts made it unmistakably clear how they felt about four more years of big, progressive government. In doing so, rural Americans are not deplorable, blind, or ignorant.

They just want a government that listens to them. One that respects their values and doesn’t make them feel like they have to forsake common sense in order to be heard. Rural Americans, just like myself, care deeply about the environment, our water, where our energy comes from, and for equality and fair treatment of all.

But we also know that reliability, affordability, and liberty are equally important considerations that must also be taken into account when making policy decisions. It’s a hard pill to swallow for many, but in rural America, choosing between a leader who listens and one who doesn’t really isn’t that hard of a call.

And if one needs an example of why rural communities feel that President Donald Trump is listening, I would suggest they look no further than the nomination of our native daughter Mrs. Brooke Rollins for Secretary of Agriculture.

Surely Secretary-designate Rollins’s background, including her policy work at the highest levels of government and in private research, is indisputable. Quite frankly, even the most partisan review of her resumé and public service cannot avoid the conclusion that she is eminently qualified and capable of leading the USDA. But more importantly, what rural Americans see now is that the most critical federal agency to their community will once again be headed by someone who doesn’t just acknowledge their values, but was molded by them.

Raised in Glen Rose, Texas (pop. 2,500), Secretary-designate Rollins doesn’t just speak rural America, she is rural America. Raised in public schools, 4H and FFA, her humble beginnings and traditional values were not a challenge to be overcome, but rather the foundation of all she has accomplished. It is because of, not in spite of, these things that she succeeds. She is capable, yet kind. She is tough, but not crude. She prioritizes her family, yet still leads. She is open-minded, but not ashamed of her faith.

These are not just talking points, but values my wife and I are prayerfully striving for every day to instill in our three young, 4H-loving daughters.

All of these traits came from a life started in Glen Rose, and in spite of all of her success, our next Secretary of Agriculture has never forgotten that. While that may or may not move the needle on Capitol Hill, it certainly carries tremendous weight and hope for me and my family that this country might yet again move closer to the America we grew up loving and believing in. This is exactly what rural America has been asking for.

And yes, we understand that President Trump is in many ways very different from Secretary-designate Rollins. He most certainly didn’t grow up on a farm, and his strong personality sometimes clashes with our small-town values. But somewhere along the way, President Joe Biden couldn’t stop singing his own praises long enough to hear anything but the echo in the room.

Brooke Rollins is proof that, when it comes to rural America, President Trump was listening where it matters most.

R. Daniel Graves, an attorney and banker by trade, currently serves as the 28th Mayor of the City of Elberton, Georgia, a thriving rural city located at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, proudly known as the “Granite Capital of the World”.