Trump widens field of candidates for secretary of state
Art Moore
Two new names are being added to the mix of President-elect Donald Trump’s possible nominees for secretary of state.
ExxonMobil Chairman Rex Tillerson, who met earlier this week with Trump, is now a candidate, according to FoxNews.com, citing a source close to the president-elect.
And former Ford CEO and top Boeing executive Alan Mulally is under consideration, senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said Friday in an interview with “Fox & Friends.”
Ford CEO Alan Mulally
Along with former Trump critic Gov. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, Conway said Trump also is considering New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; retired Gen. David Petraeus; Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.; former U.N. ambassador John Bolton; and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.
Later Friday, Giuliani withdrew his name from consideration and told Fox News host Neil Cavuto that Bolton would be his choice for secretary of state.
Bolton and Rohrabacher are being considered more for deputy secretary, according to a Fox News source.
Tillerson’s diplomatic credentials apparently center on the fact that ExxonMobil is based in dozens of countries across six continents and has had business dealings in Russia, Yemen and other hot spots.
The 64-year-old Texas native was hired by Exxon in 1975 as an engineer and became president and director in 2004 and CEO two years later. He reportedly makes more than $40 million per year and owns more than $100 million of stock in his company, which has operations in more than 50 countries.
The Fox News source said Trump was impressed with Tillerson, and the two men likely will meet again soon.
ExxonMobil Chairman Rex Tillerson
Conway told “Fox & Friends” that adherence to “the Trump doctrine” and a willingness to “execute on his vision” will factor into the final decision.
The source close to Trump said there are concerns that Romney’s March speech opposing Trump’s candidacy — calling him a “fraud” and a “phony” — would overshadow his diplomatic efforts abroad.
The Hill noted that with just over half of the Cabinet jobs filled, Trump so far chosen four major donors or fundraisers.
Obama’s first Cabinet had at least eight campaign donors, but the most any of them gave Obama was $9,000, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Trump’s other Cabinet choices so far are:
Attorney general: Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a key member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former Alabama attorney general, was the first senator to endorse Trump, citing the candidate’s tough stance against illegal immigration.
Defense secretary: James Mattis, known to his loyal troops as “Mad Dog,” retired from the Marine Corps as a four-star general in 2013. He will need a congressional waiver because of the law requiring a seven-year gap between the military and service as secretary of defense.
Homeland Security secretary: John Kelly, a 40-year Marine Corps veteran, is the former head of U.S. Southern Command.
U.N. ambassador: Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina, was a critic of Trump during the primary but backed Trump after his nomination.
Treasury secretary: Steve Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive, was chairman of Trump’s campaign’s finance operation.
Housing and Urban Development secretary: Ben Carson, a highly respected neurosurgeon, ran against Trump in the primary campaign then became one of his top surrogates.
Environmental Protection Agency administrator: Scott Pruitt, Oklahoma’s attorney general, has sued the EPA and is known as a critic of the agency.
Education secretary: Betsy DeVos, a billionaire businesswoman and education activist from Michigan, has been a promoter of school choice and school vouchers. She insists, in response to critics, she is not a supporter of the federal Common Core curriculum.
Commerce secretary: Wilbur Ross is a billionaire investor who helped craft an infrastructure plan that could be implemented in the Trump administration.
Health and Human Services secretary: Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., is an orthopedic surgeon and a strong critic of Obamacare.
Labor secretary: Andy Puzder, a critic of government regulations, is CEO of CKE Restaurants, the owner of fast food restaurants Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. Opponents of the selection point out he has pushed for amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Transportation secretary: Elaine Chao was labor secretary under former President George W. Bush and assistant secretary of transportation under President George H.W. Bush. She is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Small Business Administration administrator: Linda McMahon was the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. She ran for the Senate in Connecticut in 2010 and 2012, and was a Trump fundraiser.
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