President-elect Donald Trump’s list of potential candidates for secretary of state just got a little smaller.
The president-elect has announced former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has withdrawn his name from consideration for the role, as well as any other roles in the Trump administration.
Politico is reporting, Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani pulled out of the secretary of state sweepstakes late last month, President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team said late Friday, as Trump has widened his search to select the nation’s top diplomat in the last week.
“Rudy Giuliani is an extraordinarily talented and patriotic American. I will always be appreciative of his 24/7 dedication to our campaign after I won the primaries and for his extremely wise counsel,” Trump said in a written statement. “He is and continues to be a close personal friend, and as appropriate, I will call upon him for advice and can see an important place for him in the administration at a later date.”
Giuliani had previously publicly campaigned for the post and it was not immediately clear why he had withdrawn. The transition team said that he withdrew on November 29.
A report earlier today suggested Trump himself may have decided not to pick Giuliani. According to the NY Post, Rudy Giuliani will not be secretary of state, according to a new report.The former New York City mayor, a loyalist to Donald Trump during the worst moments of the campaign, will not be named the nation’s top diplomat, according to CNN.
There are three men on the short list — former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson and former Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally, according to reports.
Yet others still have also seen the president-elect to discuss the job — Gen. David Petraeus and Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.).
Giuliani’s extensive foreign business and speeches complicated his bid for the position.
Giuliani is said to have angered the president-elect when he made his pitch for secretary of state public at a Wall Street Journal forum last month. He was reportedly the frontrunner for the position before the forum remarks.
The report went on to state that Giuliani could have been the Department of Homeland Security secretary, but he turned it down, having his eyes solely on the State Department top spot.
It’s shocking to see Giuliani remove himself, while Romney, who attacked Trump ruthlessly out on the campaign trail, is still in the running for the position.
That’s not to say Romney wouldn’t be decent as secretary of state, just strange to see him even being considered after going so hard against Trump during the election.
Everyone is definitely going to be keeping their eyes firmly glued to Trump as his administration continues to take shape and folks wait eagerly to see who will be in the much coveted position of secretary of state.
Whoever he picks, they certainly couldn’t do a worse job than Hillary Clinton, who for the sake of political expediency, allowed four Americans to die in Benghazi.
[This article was written by Michael Cantrell]
