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Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Charlie Kirk Interviews Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Egg Prices, Tariffs, and Rural America
Charlie Kirk sits down with newly appointed Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to discuss the pressing issues facing American farmers and consumers. From the dramatic spike in egg prices under the Biden administration to the concerns surrounding tariffs and trade renegotiations, Rollins provides an inside look at the Department of Agriculture's five-point plan to address food costs. She reveals how 150 million egg-laying hens were depopulated due to avian bird flu, driving prices up 230% compared to Trump's first term. The conversation covers the department's vast responsibilities beyond farming, including the food stamp program and the Forest Service, while emphasizing President Trump's commitment to rural America and the ongoing effort to reduce government size and restore prosperity to farmers and ranchers operating on razor-thin margins.
Charlie Kirk welcomes longtime friend and patriot Brooke Rollins, the newly appointed Secretary of Agriculture, to discuss her cabinet position and the critical challenges facing American agriculture. Rollins expresses her gratitude for the opportunity to serve, calling it the honor of a lifetime while reflecting on the shared battles she and Kirk have fought together to bring the American dream to every corner of the country.
The Truth About Egg Prices
Addressing one of the most visible pocketbook issues for American families, Rollins tackles the dramatic increase in egg prices that has become a political flashpoint. While Washington focuses on Ukraine, the border, and Elon Musk's work with DOGE, Rollins emphasizes that if a single mom in Detroit, Michigan can't afford a carton of eggs at the grocery store, then something is fundamentally wrong.
Rollins presents data showing that for 40 years, egg prices remained relatively static at around $1.50 to $2 per dozen. Under Obama, prices increased modestly due to overregulation and higher taxes, with costs rising from $1.52 to $2.53. During Trump's first term, prices came back down thanks to less government interference and lower regulations. However, under Biden, egg prices skyrocketed by 230% compared to Trump's first administration.
The primary culprit, Rollins explains, is the avian bird flu virus that has devastated chicken populations. The Biden administration depopulated approximately 150 million egg-laying hens in response to the outbreak, following established protocols. However, the Department of Agriculture is now examining these protocols to determine if modifications can prevent such massive culling operations in the future.
The Five-Point Plan to Address Egg Prices
Rollins outlines the department's comprehensive strategy to bring down egg prices, which includes:
Deregulation of the poultry industry
Faster repopulation of egg-laying hens
Short-term importation of eggs from other countries
Long-term solutions to address viruses affecting the poultry industry
Addressing Biden-era inflation, overregulation, and excessive spending
While acknowledging that the situation won't be resolved overnight, Rollins notes that progress is being made. The issue isn't solely about the bird flu; Biden's inflation, overregulation, and spending policies, including California's Proposition 12 and line speed restrictions, have contributed to higher costs across the board.
The Scope of the Department of Agriculture
Many Americans assume the USDA only deals with corn, soybeans, and beef, but Rollins reveals the department's responsibilities are far more extensive. She received the call from President Trump on November 23rd, a Saturday before Thanksgiving, while driving to Auburn, Alabama for the Texas A&M-Auburn football game with her husband and four children. The unexpected conversation changed everything, though she notes she will eventually return to working alongside Kirk in the trenches doing grassroots work outside government.
The department's portfolio includes:
The food stamp program, which Rollins describes as a massive bureaucratic nightmare where food doesn't always reach those who need it most, and when it does, it often includes unhealthy items like Cokes and candy
The Forest Service, which operates the largest firefighting unit in the country with almost 30,000 firefighters
Various other programs that have accumulated over the department's long history
The USDA was the first cabinet position created after the founding agencies. While George Washington and Thomas Jefferson established the departments of Defense, State, and the Attorney General's office, it took almost a hundred years before Abraham Lincoln created the Department of Agriculture. The department later became somewhat of a dumping ground for programs that didn't fit elsewhere in the federal government.
Rollins sees this complexity as an opportunity to demonstrate how government can be realigned, reduced in force, and made more effective and efficient with significantly less money, setting a model not just for federal agencies but for governments nationwide.
Tariffs and the Agricultural Community
Kirk raises the contentious issue of tariffs, noting that while the American people voted for them, there's considerable back and forth on implementation. Rollins confirms that her phone lit up like a Christmas tree with calls from farmers and ranchers concerned about their ability to sell and import products.
In her first three weeks on the job, Rollins has visited six or seven states and spoken directly to almost 200 farmers from around the country. She's intentionally gotten outside the noise of Washington and the agricultural associations to hear directly from farmers themselves. Their number one concern is the uncertainty surrounding tariffs and potential trade renegotiations.
The agricultural community is operating on razor-thin margins, perhaps the thinnest in a hundred years. Under Biden, the agricultural trade deficit ballooned to $49 billion, compared to zero at the end of Trump's first term. This represents real money taken directly from farmers' pockets.
Rollins emphasizes that President Trump is acutely aware of farmers' concerns. Rural communities and the agricultural sector have supported Trump since he came down the escalator in 2015, and they stood by him in early 2021 when others were running for the hills. The President mentioned farmers multiple times during the State of the Union, declaring his love and support for them.
Following her conversations with Trump, the administration announced a 30-day deal exempting agricultural products under USMCA going to Canada or Mexico, providing huge relief to farmers. They also exempted fertilizer (potash) from Canada under different terms. While Trump campaigned on using tariffs as part of his toolkit to bring prosperity back to America, Rollins expresses confidence that he thinks daily about the real-world effects on rural America and the farmers who form the backbone of the country.
The Revolution in Government
Reflecting on the broader mission, Rollins acknowledges that revolution is never easy. There are difficult decisions to be made every day in the effort to shrink the massive federal government beast that has grown too large under both Democrats and Republicans. The goal is to return power to the people and implement the Founders' vision of self-governance when things have spiraled out of control in Washington.
Despite the challenges, Rollins describes herself and Kirk as pathological optimists who couldn't have imagined the current moment even in their wildest dreams. With Elon Musk doing phenomenal work, a cabinet that functions like family, and team members who have known and worked together for years, this isn't about silos anymore. It's a team effort to save America.
Rollins acknowledges that in a revolution that significantly reduces the size of government, nothing will be perfect. There will be imperfections and mistakes, but the opportunity to shake up the entire system and almost restart it may not come again in our lifetimes. She's had conversations with both Republicans and Democrats on the Hill, including a collegial discussion with a Democratic Senator about USDA's goals and the importance of realigning the agency.
For the most part, even those on the other side of the aisle understand that President Trump won with a mandate by winning the popular vote and all the swing states. While Democrats may not agree with every decision, they recognize this is what the American people asked for, and the administration is implementing these changes with the best of intentions for the country's sake.
