Sam Clovis

Sam Clovis
Basic facts
Organization:	U.S. Department of Agriculture
Role:	Former White House liaison
Location:	Washington, D.C.
Affiliation:	Republican
Education:	•United States Air Force Academy (B.A.) •Golden Gate University (M.B.A.) •University of Alabama (Ph.D.) •Georgetown University (National Security Program)
Prior Experience •2014 U.S. Senate candidate •2014 Iowa State Treasurer candidate •Rick Perry 2016 presidential •Donald Trump 2016 presidential

Sam Clovis was the White House representative at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was in charge of coordinating White House and USDA policy and staffing under President Donald Trump. Clovis resigned on May 4, 2018.

Before joining the Trump administration, Clovis was a tenured professor of economics at Morningside College and a tea party activist who served as fourth district chair for the 2012 Republican convention. He was the co-chair and policy advisor for Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and was responsible for crafting policy and explaining it in media appearances for the campaign.

On July 19, 2017, Trump nominated Clovis to be the USDA's undersecretary for research, education, and economics, the department's top scientific post. Clovis withdrew his name from consideration on November 2, 2017.

Career

Clovis was born in Salina, and raised in Medora, Kansas. He graduated from Buhler High School and left his home state to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, where he earned his bachelor's degree. During Clovis' 25-year career in the Air Force, he commanded the 70th Fighter Squadron and rose to the rank of colonel. Upon his retirement in 1996, Clovis was the inspector general of the United States Space Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

Clovis earned an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University and a Ph.D. in public administration from the University of Alabama. He also studied national security at Georgetown University.

From 2005 until 2015, Clovis taught economics at Morningside College, a private liberal arts college located in Northwest Iowa. Before becoming a tenured full professor at Morningside, he worked for the Homeland Security Institute from 2004 to 2010 and taught classes in a graduate-level public administration program at Iowa State University. In addition, Clovis hosted the conservative radio show "Impact With Sam Clovis" on KSCJ-AM in Sioux City, Iowa. According to the Sioux City Journal, "Clovis has something of a rock star quality with Siouxland tea party people."

Presidential election, 2016

Rick Perry

See also: Rick Perry presidential campaign key staff and advisors, 2016

Clovis was the Iowa director of Rick Perry's 2016 presidential campaign. He left Perry's campaign in August 2015. In an interview with The Washington Post, Clovis said, "I feel bad for the campaign and I feel bad for Governor Perry because I think he’s a marvelous human being, he’s a great man and it was my honor to be a part of this, but it was just time to move on." Although at the time Clovis had not yet signed on with Trump's campaign, he also told the Post his impressions of Trump's campaign. He said, "It’s like watching NASCAR. You just can’t take your eyes off the cars."

Donald Trump

See also: Donald Trump presidential campaign key staff and advisors, 2016

Campaign role

On August 25, 2015, Clovis joined Donald Trump's campaign as co-chair and policy advisor. In an interview with NPR, Clovis said his reasons for switching to Trump's campaign were personal. He also noted, "I thought Mr. Trump, of all the people running for office, is the only one I believe I can trust will go to Washington and change things."

The Sioux City Journal described Clovis' role in the campaign as varied, writing, "He appears on TV as a Trump surrogate, writes talking points for speeches and helps find key people who can inform Trump's developing policies on economics, immigration and foreign affairs." Clovis told the paper, "My job is to facilitate all that, gather the data, gather the inputs and put the products together and make sure that they get to Mr. Trump. ... It is really exciting, because no day is ever the same. I get an opportunity to touch everything in the campaign from a policy perspective."

The following are Sam Clovis' statements projecting policy positions for Trump. As the campaign's co-chair and policy advisor, Clovis was responsible for crafting many of the campaign's policies and had a hand in most domestic and foreign policy proposals.

Clovis statements on Trump policy positions
Policy	Date of statement	Statement
Corporate taxes	March 2, 2016	Clovis explained the campaign's corporate tax policy on The Caiden Cowger Program: "Where the major reforms are going to come in the form of corporate tax reform. We are going to allow repatriation of all the capital that's offshore back to the United States at 10 percent. We're going to have essentially a flatter corporate tax rate of only 15 percent. This will then encourage all the capital to come back, we think upwards of $5 trillion maybe. We'll bring millions of jobs back into the country and will also lead directly to direct foreign investment."
Federal assistance programs	August 27, 2015	Speaking with Alan Colmes, Clovis said, "The idea of talking about reform of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security is something that is part of the policy discussion. ... This is something we will get through as we process the policy issues."
	May 11, 2016	At an event sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Clovis explained that entitlement reform was a possible policy for a Trump administration: "After the administration has been in place, then we will start to take a look at all of the programs, including entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. We’ll start taking a hard look at those to start seeing what we can do in a bipartisan way. ... Right now, we’re not going to touch anything because we can’t predict the growth. We have to start taking a look not just at Medicare and Social Security but every program we have out there, because the budgetary discipline that we’ve shown over the last 84 years has been horrible."
Foreign policy	January 31, 2016	Speaking with Bloomberg, Clovis said, "One, we want to take a very clear worldview in our foreign policy, dealing with the national interest, and let that be our organizing principles. Two is that we want to make sure that we engage in free markets, but we want those markets to be fairer as well. And three, if we do not have strong economic recovery, we can’t do the other two. ... If that’s not a Trump doctrine, I don’t know what is."
	July 2016	Speaking of Trump's proposal to reevaluate alliances including involvement with NATO, Clovis said, "We’re not about to spill one drop of blood or spend one more dollar unless we know exactly what the outcome is going to be or at least have some notion of what the predictability is."
Healthcare	April 8, 2016	Clovis told The New York Times of Trump's plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act while also ensuring health coverage for all. Clovis said, "A lot of it depends on what initiatives we can get through Congress. ... The trend will eventually be that employers will provide income to buy insurance on your own, and the employers will get out of the group policy business."
Higher education	May 13, 2016	Speaking with Inside Higher Ed, Clovis outlined the Trump campaign's policy stance on higher education. In reference to student loan debt, Clovis said the Trump campaign supported colleges sharing risk on student loans, meaning loan eligibility would be based on prospective majors and prospective earnings after graduation. He said, "We think if the college has real skin in the game, it will change its model. If you are going to study 16th-century French art, more power to you. I support the arts. But you are not going to get a job. ... If you choose to major in the liberal arts, there are issues associated with that."
Immigration	December 7, 2015	Speaking of Trump's proposal to ban all Muslim travel and immigration to the United States, Clovis said the ban would last "however long it would take for these departments and entities to come back and report to the American people that we have a sound system, good oversight and checks and balances and assurances from country of origin that we are looking at this thing."
Income tax	March 2, 2016	Clovis also explained the campaign's plan for reforming the personal income tax structure to The Caiden Cowger Program: "The issue is to take a look at where we are and to essentially eliminate three of the tax brackets. Drop it down from seven to four. ... We remove about 75 million people from the tax roles. ... We get rid of the death tax, remove a lot of the carveouts for special interests, and a lot of those areas, and make this a much flatter and fairer tax."
Crop insurance	September 16, 2016	Speaking with reporters after a Washington state agriculture discussion, Clovis said, "You can pay for 100 percent of a devastating natural disaster or you can go out and pay 50 percent and make sure that it doesn’t happen, or at least protect the people from it happening. ... So I think that crop insurance would be an important part of any farm bill we would approach.

Travel ban

In December 2015, Clovis was one of the campaign's policy advisors when Trump called for a ban on all Muslim travel to the United States after the San Bernardino terrorist attack. Clovis told The Guardian that the policy was a reasonable precaution and that it would allow the country to "stop, take a break, have a look and make sure everything is cool." Morningside College, from which Clovis had taken a leave of absence when he joined the Perry campaign, told Iowa Starting Line that the Muslim ban was inconsistent with Clovis' actions on campus: "This is not the Sam Clovis that we knew when he was here. Sam was a staunch defender of the Constitution and a strong advocate for religious freedom. If he played a role in drafting or advising the Trump campaign on this issue, we will be outraged and extremely disappointed in Dr. Clovis." The college's provost, William Deeds, told KCAU-TV, "The views being expressed are entirely inconsistent with the views of Morningside College."

Brokered convention

On March 18, 2016, Clovis told CNN that he would leave the Republican Party if a possible brokered convention led to the blocking of Trump's nomination. He stated, "I will tell you this, if the Republican Party comes into that convention and jimmies with the rules and takes away the will of the people, the will of the Republicans and the Democrats and Independents who voted for Mr. Trump, I will take off my credentials, I will leave the floor of that convention, and I will leave the Republican Party forever."

Comments on Republican opposition to Trump, June 2016

On June 16, 2016, Clovis spoke with CNN about Republican opposition to Trump's candidacy. Clovis said, "Either they want to get behind the presumptive nominee who will be the nominee of this party and make sure that we do everything we can to win in November or we're just asking them if they can't do that, then just shut the hell up." He went on to criticize Republican leaders, saying, "They haven't done anything to work toward the balancing of the budget. They have gutted the military and they've done nothing to protect the cultural values of this country. So I'm really tired of the Republican establishment coming out and shooting their mouths off and talking about how we need to comport with them. That's not the way this works."

Comments on Trump claims of voter fraud

On October 18, 2016, Clovis spoke with Boston Herald Radio about Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud. Clovis said that large numbers of individuals residing in the country illegally were registering and voting with fraudulent documents. He said, "I’ve done a lot of work and study in this area, so here’s what happens: you have the opportunity for illegal immigrants to come to the state, and the state loosens its laws to provide for individuals to get driver's licenses in the state, illegal or otherwise. ... Then, through fraudulent documentation, because you've used fraudulent documents to achieve a status in this country, then you are able to register to vote because you've established residency. And people are no longer interested in whether you are a citizen and eligible to vote. The fact of the matter is, you're a resident and they assume you're eligible to vote."

Foreign policy advisory board and Russian contacts

On October 30, 2017, investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election revealed that Clovis had hired George Papadopoulos and encouraged Papadopoulos' efforts to contact Russian agents claiming to have information about and emails from Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. According to Politico, "Clovis brought Papadopoulos into the campaign in March 2016, when he was asked to put together a foreign-policy advisory committee. Clovis knew that Papadopoulos was talking to Russian officials and, in at least one exchange, encouraged Papadopoulos to pursue a meeting with Kremlin-linked contacts."

Donald Trump presidential administration

Department of Agriculture

In January 2017, just after Trump took office, Clovis began working as the White House liaison at the Department of Agriculture. His move there was part of a larger administration effort to have Trump affiliates in each governmental department.

Nomination for USDA scientific post

On July 19, 2017, Trump nominated Clovis to serve as the USDA's undersecretary for research, education, and economics, which is the department's top scientific post. At the time of his nomination, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said, "Dr. Clovis was one of the first people through the door at USDA in January and has become a trusted advisor and steady hand as we continue to work for the people of agriculture. He looks at every problem with a critical eye, relying on sound science and data, and will be the facilitator and integrator we need. Dr. Clovis has served this nation proudly since he was a very young man, and I am happy he is continuing to serve." According to The Washington Post, the position involved managing about $3 billion in research and education activities for the department's scientific efforts; the undersecretary also "oversees Agriculture’s economic bureaus, including the Natural Agricultural Statistics Service and the Economic Research Service," according to the paper.

Clovis withdrew his name from consideration in November 2017 after reports that he had encouraged a Trump campaign aide, George Papadopoulos, in efforts to work with Russian officials during the presidential election. Clovis' nomination also faced opposition from Democrats, who cited his lack of scientific training and previous remarks.

Elections

The following sections detail Clovis' record and experience as a candidate for public office.

2014

U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate elections in Iowa, 2014

Clovis ran as a Republican candidate for the United States Senate in the 2014 elections in Iowa. He was defeated by Joni Ernst in the Republican primary on June 3, 2014.

U.S. Senate, Iowa Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Joni Ernst	56.2%	88,535
Sam Clovis	18%	28,418
Mark Jacobs	16.8%	26,523
Matt Whitaker	7.5%	11,884
Scott Schaben	1.4%	2,233
Total Votes		157,593
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

Iowa State Treasurer

See also: Iowa down ballot state executive elections, 2014

Clovis ran for Iowa Treasurer in 2014. He filed for the office on July 3, 2014, one month after his loss in the Republican primary election for U.S. Senate. He was nominated at the Iowa GOP convention and faced incumbent Democrat Michael Fitzgerald and Libertarian Keith Laube in the general election. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

Iowa Treasurer, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Michael Fitzgerald Incumbent	52.9%	576,942
	Republican	Sam Clovis	43.7%	476,633
	Libertarian	Keith Laube	3.4%	36,945
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	670
Total Votes				1,091,190
Election results via Iowa Secretary of State

Endorsements

Endorsed by Clovis: In October 2014, Clovis announced his endorsement of Republican Jeremy Davis for state Senate District 23, Clovis' home district, in the 2014 elections. Davis, an Ames City Councilman, ran against incumbent Democrat state Sen. Herman Quirmbach. Clovis called praised Davis' "limited government approach" and uniting style of leadership in a press release.

Endorsements for Clovis: Clovis' 2014 treasurer campaign received the endorsement of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry's (ABI) Iowa Industry PAC (IIPAC)

Campaign themes

2014

Clovis' campaign website listed the following themes for the 2014 race:

“

I intend to change the culture of the Treasurer of State in Iowa by: Protecting the wealth of Iowa and Iowans The economic climate in Iowa seems to be pretty sound and steady. However, the environment at the national level is anything but. The Gross Domestic Product is showing a serious decline and the Federal Reserve continues quantitative easing—pumping currency into the money supply—which weakens the value of the dollar and has led to an over-inflated stock market. Equity investment carries extraordinary risk right now and nothing is being done in Iowa to mitigate that risk. The next Treasurer of State will make sure that all measures will be taken to bring Safety to our investments. Expanding opportunities to grow the wealth of future generations of Iowans The Dodd-Frank legislation, through its regulatory regime, is forcing many of our local banks to reconsider their financial viability in the state. This is unfortunate. Iowa banks should be able to invest in Iowa through expanded opportunities offered through the office of the Treasurer of State. Rather than offering investment opportunities four times a year, I will advocate for twice as many investment windows for twice the level of funds available. Eliminate the use of state funds for political campaigns. I will advocate to the General Assembly that those who are holding elected office cannot appear in or run Public Service Announcements (PSAs) associated with programs under their purview within 90 days of a primary or general election. The current Treasurer has surged the use of PSAs associated with the College 529 program and Iowa Treasure Hunt each election year. Perhaps he should have to raise campaign money on his own rather than spending YOUR money for such purposes. Provide a vision for a Better, Greater Iowa The Treasurer of State should be able to articulate–for the General Assembly, the Governor, and the People—a plan on how to retain and grow the population and wealth of the state. The role of the Treasurer of State in creating this vision is critical. As the steward of the wealth of the state, the Treasurer must be able to offer expanded investment opportunities for Iowans, more options in public pension plans, affordability and portability in savings and investment plans, more options for educational options and efficient, effective operations in restoring lost wealth back to the rightful owners. Without the strong advocacy of the Treasurer of State, the future of the state might be less certain. The next Treasurer of State for Iowa must be more than a caretaker and bureaucrat. Through Stewardship, Leadership and Statesmanship, I will do all I can to meet the objectives outlined above.

”

Campaign finance summary

Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.

Media

Sam Clovis For Treasurer Ad, October 2014

Sam Clovis at town hall, August 2013

Sam Clovis with Anderson Cooper, October 2015

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Clovis and his wife, Charlotte, have three children.

See also

• Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2016
• Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
• Iowa Treasurer
• Iowa down ballot state executive elections, 2014
• United States Senate elections, 2014
• United States Senate elections in Iowa, 2014
• Iowa