Trump says he will announce pick for secretary of state Tuesday morning
President-elect Donald Trump says he’ll announce his pick for secretary of state Tuesday morning.
Mr. Trump revealed his plans Monday night on Twitter.
I will be making my announcement on the next Secretary of State tomorrow morning.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2016
His search for the country’s top diplomat has stretched out in a highly public fashion for weeks.
Mr. Trump has been considering former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, once a vocal critic; Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who leads the Foreign Relations Committee; and Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who met twice with Mr. Trump during the past week.
In an interview with “Fox News Sunday,” Mr. Trump pointed to Tillerson’s deep relations with Moscow as a selling point.
As Exxon Mobil’s head, Tillerson maintained close ties with Russia and was awarded by President Vladimir Putin with the Order of Friendship, an honor for foreign citizens.
Tillerson began his career at Exxon in 1975 as an engineer. He graduated with a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas in Austin. Eventually, he worked his way up through the ranks to become president and join the Board of Directors in 2004. He was made CEO two years later.