May 15, 2025 – In the midst of cuts to staff, programs, and grant funding, as well as news that it may move more staff out of Washington, D.C., the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has adorned its D.C. headquarters with giant banners of Presidents Donald Trump and Abraham Lincoln, side by side.
In an Instagram video unveiling the new banners, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins wrote that “the People’s Department is being restored—leaner, stronger, and laser focused on its mission of putting farmers first.”
Lincoln signed legislation establishing the USDA, which he called the “people’s department,” in 1862. Over the years, Trump has repeatedly compared himself to Lincoln, more than once referencing how his first administration impacted Black Americans. During the 2024 campaign, at the National Association of Black Journalists conference, he said, “I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”
