Over the past several weeks, President-elect Donald J. Trump has been feverishly announcing various members of his cabinet, but one agency has yet to be filled: Secretary of State.
Well, during an interview with Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Wednesday morning Trump revealed that he will announce his pick for Secretary of State next week.
Trump appeared on NBC to discuss Time magazine naming him their 2016 Person of the Year when the subject of the coveted Secretary of State opening came up.
The president-elect rejected the suggestion that he was stringing out the nomination process in order to mock Governor Mitt Romney for his refusal to endorse the president-elect during the campaign.
Trump told Lauer “No, it’s not about revenge. It’s about what’s good for the country. And I’m able to put this stuff behind us.”
#Suspense #builds over #Trump secretary of state search… https://t.co/wCXePswg7P
— Drudge Report (@drudgeheadlines) December 5, 2016
From USA Today:
Trump declined to handicap the chances of Romney or others on the list, including former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, retired general and ex-CIA director David Petraeus, former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, and ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson.
One task for the new secretary of State: dealing with China, which protested Trump’s phone call last week with Taiwan. Trump responded by criticizing Chinese trade and currency practices.
China did praise the reported pick of [Terry] Branstad as ambassador, calling him an “old friend” who has been cooperative on agriculture trading involving China and Iowa. Branstad has described Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “longtime friend” and hosted him during a 2012 visit to Iowa.
As the list of potential choices to serve as Trump’s Secretary of State grows, many conservatives have been vocal about Mitt Romney. Given that the former Republican presidential nominee was a vocal opponent of Trump during the election, conservatives have argued that his disloyalty should not be rewarded with a top cabinet appointment in the Trump White House.
Rudy Giuliani, who was an early Trump supporter, has reportedly been on the short list for the job since the beginning, but the former New York City mayor’s open lobbying for the post has irked some within Trump’s transition team. A new name, former Utah Governor John Huntsman and U.S. Ambassador to China, has emerged as a possible Secretary of State pick, but his frequent praise of President Obama has many conservatives worried about him as well.
Who do you think Trump should ultimately pick as his Secretary of State? Should it be Romney or someone who was loyal to the President-elect from the beginning? Share your thoughts with us below!