Mitt Romney: It was an 'honor' to be considered for secretary of state

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last updated 13 December 2016

He ate the frog legs for nothing — on Monday night, Mitt Romney announced he is no longer in the running to be secretary of state.

On Facebook, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee wrote that it was an "honor" to have been considered for the position, adding: "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."

Romney was a vocal detractor during the campaign, accusing Trump of "playing the American public for suckers," which is why eyebrows were raised when Trump began courting Romney for the secretary of state job. On Sunday, one of Trump's informal advisers gave credence to a rumor that Trump was just stringing Romney along; while appearing on conspiracy peddler Alex Jones' InfoWars, Roger Stone said Trump was trying to "torture" Romney and "toy with him. And given the history, that's completely understandable. Mitt Romney crossed a line. He didn't just oppose Trump, which is his democratic right, he called him a phony and a fraud. And a con man. And that's not the kind of man you want as secretary of state." On Tuesday, Trump is expected to announce he's selected ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for the position.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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