JUST IN: Trump Reveals Nomination For Powerful Administration Post

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped a combative Florida sheriff to head up a powerful agency in his second administration, throwing down the gauntlet to Senate Republicans who he will be watching closely for signs of loyalty during January’s confirmation hearings.

Chad Chronister, the Hillsborough County sheriff appointed by then-Gov. Rick Scott in 2017, has been nominated by Trump to head up the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, a powerful post that dovetails with the Republican’s commitment to combatting illegal immigration and the smuggling of fentanyl into the country. Chronister is the third Florida ally to be handpicked by Trump; Sen. Marco Rubio has been nominated for secretary of state, and former state attorney general Pam Bondi was picked for U.S. attorney general following the withdrawal of former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

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“For over 32 years, Sheriff Chad Chronister has served the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and received countless commendations and awards for keeping his community SAFE,” Trump wrote in his announcement on Saturday, Fox News reported. “A proud graduate of the FBI National Academy’s 260th Session, Chad is Co-Chairman of the Regional Domestic Security Task Force for Region IV Tampa Bay, Council Member of the Florida Attorney General’s Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, Chairman of the Criminal Justice Sub-Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Hillsborough County Public Safety Coordinating Council, and Vice-Chairman of the Hillsborough County Public Schools Citizen Oversight Committee,” he continued.

Trump said that he expects Chronister to work closely with Bondi to “secure the Border, stop the flow of Fentanyl, and other Illegal Drugs, across the Southern Border, and SAVE LIVES.”

“Congratulations to Chad, his wife Nikki, and two wonderful sons!” he added. Chronister replied to the president-elect announcement on X, calling it the “honor of a lifetime” to work in the Trump-Vance administration. “I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation,” he added.

It is the honor of a lifetime to be nominated by President @realDonaldTrump to serve as the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve our nation. pic.twitter.com/X5lslYyF1U

— Chad Chronister (@ChadChronister) December 1, 2024

If confirmed, Chronister and Bondi would join South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at the Department of Homeland Services and Tom Homan at Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the front line of America’s war against illegal border crossings. The Florida sheriff has seen his share of the illegal drug trade in greater Tampa, a port frequented by Central and South American gangs seeking to establish trade routes into the U.S. He has been reelected twice by voters since 2017.

Trump last week met with Mexico’s president whom he said has committed to improving its interceptions of fentanyl, a deadly street drug that is combined with heroin and cocaine to boost their potency but substantially increases the risk of overdose and death. “I will be working on a large scale United States Advertising Campaign, explaining how bad Fentanyl is for people to use – Millions of lives being so needlessly destroyed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “By the time the Campaign is over, everyone will know how really bad the horror of this Drug is.”

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