Brooke Rollins

Went from two employees to about 120. Became, I believe, the most effective public policy organization in the country. Moved Texas because I had been in the sausage making. So I knew Wasn't, again, wasn't an academic, which at the time most think tanks were run by. But I understood innately how to stop bad things and how to move good things. And that was really the bottom line.

Went from two employees to about 120. Became, I believe, the most effective public policy organization in the country. Moved Texas because I had been in the sausage making. So I knew Wasn't, again, wasn't an academic, which at the time most think tanks were run by. But I understood innately how to stop bad things and how to move good things. And that was really the bottom line.

And how to hire really, really good people. So I got a call from Jared Kushner, whom I had never met. I had been on the president candidate Donald Trump's economic team. Got a call when he was running against Hillary Clinton. Would you help us just build out our economic tax plan, deregulation plan, et cetera? And I said, of course, but I run a nonpartisan think tank.

And how to hire really, really good people. So I got a call from Jared Kushner, whom I had never met. I had been on the president candidate Donald Trump's economic team. Got a call when he was running against Hillary Clinton. Would you help us just build out our economic tax plan, deregulation plan, et cetera? And I said, of course, but I run a nonpartisan think tank.

And I'm always happy to help because obviously I think we thought Donald Trump was going to be more conservative than Hillary, but no one really knew, right? He'd been a Democrat very early, not very long ago.

And I'm always happy to help because obviously I think we thought Donald Trump was going to be more conservative than Hillary, but no one really knew, right? He'd been a Democrat very early, not very long ago.

And I said, but yes, if anyone calls and helps, I want them to understand the Texas model, what we did in cutting taxes and deregulating and the job growth that happened and how it helped poor people the most, going back to my original idea of going to seminary. And so he won. I was on that economic team. I was not interested in coming to D.C. or the White House. I told the team that.

And I said, but yes, if anyone calls and helps, I want them to understand the Texas model, what we did in cutting taxes and deregulating and the job growth that happened and how it helped poor people the most, going back to my original idea of going to seminary. And so he won. I was on that economic team. I was not interested in coming to D.C. or the White House. I told the team that.

They said, what would you like to do? You were on the team when a lot of people weren't. And I said, no, no, no, I'm going to stay in Texas and help. Then I got a call from my now very good friend, but then at the time didn't know him, Jared Kushner, who said, whatever you're doing, this is about six months into term, year one of term one. What is that thing y'all are doing in Texas?

They said, what would you like to do? You were on the team when a lot of people weren't. And I said, no, no, no, I'm going to stay in Texas and help. Then I got a call from my now very good friend, but then at the time didn't know him, Jared Kushner, who said, whatever you're doing, this is about six months into term, year one of term one. What is that thing y'all are doing in Texas?

You know, criminal justice reform, deregulation, tax cuts. I mean, whatever, all of the great things you've done, that's sort of, can you come just talk to me about how you did it? And so I flew up to D.C. and flew up again and flew up again. And he started saying, we really need you in the White House. We want you to build something very similar to what you built in Texas, a

You know, criminal justice reform, deregulation, tax cuts. I mean, whatever, all of the great things you've done, that's sort of, can you come just talk to me about how you did it? And so I flew up to D.C. and flew up again and flew up again. And he started saying, we really need you in the White House. We want you to build something very similar to what you built in Texas, a

this relentless, super strategic, very intentional policy apparatus that could move things. And I said no. And then I said no again. And then I said no again. And then my family and I finally said yes. And so that's how I ended up in the last white house.

this relentless, super strategic, very intentional policy apparatus that could move things. And I said no. And then I said no again. And then I said no again. And then my family and I finally said yes. And so that's how I ended up in the last white house.

Well, it's a much bigger and more interesting story than that, I think. So the final year of term one, I took it upon myself. I sort of anointed myself as the person that would ensure that when President Trump won the second term on November 3rd of 2020, that we would be ready, unlike we were not in the first term.

Well, it's a much bigger and more interesting story than that, I think. So the final year of term one, I took it upon myself. I sort of anointed myself as the person that would ensure that when President Trump won the second term on November 3rd of 2020, that we would be ready, unlike we were not in the first term.

And so I spent the year with Larry Kudlow, who ran the National Economic Council, Robert O'Brien, who ran National Security Council, and I was domestic policy at that point, and really drove an effort to put together an agenda in the teams that would be ready for that second term.

And so I spent the year with Larry Kudlow, who ran the National Economic Council, Robert O'Brien, who ran National Security Council, and I was domestic policy at that point, and really drove an effort to put together an agenda in the teams that would be ready for that second term.

And so when that didn't happen, and everyone else was discouraged, no one would hire Trump people, it was a very dark time. January 6th happened. In November of 2020, I realized that what I had been blessed to build in Texas what the Trump first White House asked me to help do within the West Wing, that that's what I needed to do on the national scale.

And so when that didn't happen, and everyone else was discouraged, no one would hire Trump people, it was a very dark time. January 6th happened. In November of 2020, I realized that what I had been blessed to build in Texas what the Trump first White House asked me to help do within the West Wing, that that's what I needed to do on the national scale.