John Rich is taking on a prestigious role within President Donald Trump’s administration.
On Monday, the country star took to social media to announce his latest endeavor.
“President Trump has afforded me the great honor to serve in his administration as the ‘Special Envoy for American Landowners,'” he wrote on X. “In this role, I look forward to representing and advocating for landowners’ rights against any entity that chooses to harass or intimidate them in an effort to achieve goals contrary to those of the President. I look forward to defending our farmers and ranchers.”
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On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture officially announced the news in a press release.
“America’s farmers, ranchers, and landowners are among the greatest stewards of our nation’s resources and the backbone of our rural communities,” Secretary Brooke Rollins said via the release. “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.”
According to the release, a key focus of Rich’s work will be advocating for landowners facing pressure related to large-scale solar and wind development that may impact productive farmland, ranchland, and rural livelihoods.
Additionally, he will work closely with USDA leadership and stakeholders to ensure landowners have a strong voice in decisions affecting their property and communities.
Earlier this year, Rich — who has been a longtime supporter of Trump — got candid about how today’s political landscape has pushed more artists to vocalize their beliefs.
“I think when Trump won that second time, and we had been through four years of Biden and what that did to the music industry, what that did to people’s livelihoods – I think, coming out the other side of that, you finally saw artists going, ‘You know what, enough is enough, I’m putting them up, I’m going to say what I think,'” he said during an appearance on “The Rubin Report.”
“Country music wasn’t founded and is not popular because it was founded on the backs of wishy-washy people,” he continued. “I mean, it was Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn and [Merle] Haggard and Willie [Nelson] and Waylon [Jennings] and I mean artists that did not care what you thought about what they had to say.”
“They’re like, ‘This is what I think. I’m going to put it into a song. You decide if you like it or not.’ They became the pillars of country music,” he continued. “So yes, I do see artists starting to turn back in that direction. And I think the music industry doesn’t have a choice but to go along with it, because the audience is so hardcore against a lot of the bad things that have happened to them. If you go the other direction, the phrase I use is they will ‘Dixie Chicks’ you.”
Rich is not one to stay silent, especially amid the era of cancel culture.
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“I could give you the tough guy answer and say, I didn’t care what they thought. That’s not true,” Rich said of speaking up throughout the years.
“At one point, I had to kind of look at the back and forth of that whole scenario and say, ‘Well, is the music industry’s approval of me more important to me than my right to free speech?'” Rich, who has received numerous accolades through his 30-plus years in country music, asked.
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“Is it more important to me than setting an example for my two sons? Do I want to be the guy that yells at the TV on the evening news and goes, ‘Look at what these people are doing to our country’ and then turn right around, put on my boots and my hat and walk the red carpet and play patty cake with the exact same industry people that are doing the things I’ve been yelling at?'”
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“Well, that’s hypocritical,” he continued. “And I decided one day, ‘No, I’m just not going to do it. I don’t know what the fallout’s going to be. But I’d rather say what I want to say, be an actual American. And if there’s a bloody nose to take, then I guess I’ll take it. And I did take a lot of bloody noses and still do.”
“But what I’ve learned is that the reciprocation from the other side, people that are glad you said what you said, they’re glad you had enough intestinal fortitude to stick your face out there and take the pop, they all come rushing to your back, Dave. They all show up by tens of millions.”
