Mitt Romney is 'under active and serious consideration' for secretary of state, Mike Pence says


Former Gov. Mitt Romney, a strident critic of Donald Trump, met with the president-elect in New Jersey on Saturday, and on Sunday's Face the Nation, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said the two men had "not only a cordial meeting, but also it was a very substantive meeting." Pence said he could not say when Trump would make his selection, but "I can say that Gov. Romney is under active and serious consideration to serve as secretary of state of the United States." On Fox News, Pence said of Romney: "I know he is under active consideration to be secretary of state... along with some other distinguished Americans."
Romney would be an interesting pick, aside from the two men's previous antipathy. Romney is less of a hard-liner on many issues than Trump's earliest picks, and he famously named Russia as America's top geopolitical adversary; Trump and his national security adviser, Gen. Michael Flynn, advocate for closer ties with Russia.
Trump wants JP Morgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon for treasury secretary, The Wall Street Journal reports, but since Dimon is disinclined to take the job, he is reportedly deciding between investment banker Steven Mnuchin and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), a conservative ideologue. For commerce secretary, Trump is considering Wilbur Ross, a billionaire investor and campaign donor. Reince Priebus, Trump's incoming White House chief of staff, said not to expect any more Cabinet picks until after Thanksgiving.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump touts ambiguous 'deals' as Middle East trip wraps
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The president's whirlwind regional tour concludes with glitz, bravado and an unclear list of concrete accomplishments
-
Have the Rockies Reached a Breaking Point?
the explainer Baseball's most aimless franchise takes aim at a record set just last year
-
Breakthrough gene-editing treatment saves baby
speed read KJ Muldoon was healed from a rare genetic condition
-
Supreme Court weighs court limits amid birthright ban
speed read President Trump's bid to abolish birthright citizenship has sparked questions among federal judges about blocking administration policies
-
Gabbard fires intelligence chiefs after Venezuela report
speed read Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top two officials leading the National Intelligence Council
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin