SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 12, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — It is being reported Monday night that Mitt Romney will not be President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of state.
On his Facebook page, Romney stated:
“It was an honor to have been considered for Secretary of State of our great country. My discussions with President-elect Trump have been both enjoyable and enlightening. I have very high hopes that the new administration will lead the nation to greater strength, prosperity and peace.”
The news that Romney was no longer in the running was broken on Twitter by Jennifer Jacobs of Bloomberg, who tweeted, “Trump called Romney to tell him he’s not getting post, I’m told. Pres-elect expressed nothing but respect for him in recent days.”
ABC News reported that two senior Trump transition officials called the conversation between Trump and Romney “respectful” and a “great talk.”
ABC and CNN were among several news sources that pointed to the often harsh criticisms Trump and Romney threw at each other during the 2016 campaign, with Romney notably referring to Trump as a “con-man,” “fraud” and a “phony.”
Consequently, many observers were shocked when Romney’s name came up for consideration for the top diplomatic position in Trump’s cabinet, and many expressed disappointment when Romney appeared not only willing but eager to accept the post.
The two men had several meetings in which they seemed to put aside their differences, at least in public, but not everyone on Trump’s team was enamored of Romney.
Kellyanne Conway, an adviser very close to Trump, came out against Romney in an interview on “Face the Nation,” telling Chuck Todd that Romney went “out of his way to hurt Donald Trump” by questioning his character, intellect and integrity. Others close to Trump were reportedly adamantly opposed to the idea of Romney serving in Trump’s cabinet.
No reason was given for not choosing the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 GOP presidential nominee.
Trump said Monday night that he would announce his pick for secretary of state on Tuesday. It is expected that he will name ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to the post.
