Mitt Romney revealed that none other than Hillary Clinton urged him to take the role of Secretary of State under President Trump.
Romney claims that he reached out to several former secretaries of state, including Clinton, with each responding, “Please, please take that job if it’s offered to you.”
The former governor of Massachusetts said he was “shocked” to even hear he was under consideration for the role.
But President Trump, knowing full-well that the best assembled team of leaders might include some who don’t quite see eye-to-eye with him, considered his bitter rival anyway.
And Hillary thought he should do it.
Via Politico:
Romney, who was golfing in Hawaii when he received the call, said he told Pence at first that he would have to think about it. He then turned to former secretaries of state, including the just-defeated Clinton, to ask whether he should consent to the offer.
“In each case, each of them said, ‘Please, please take that job if it’s offered to you. We’d very much like to see you serve in that capacity,’” Romney said.
The former governor said he was heartened that Trump would seek him out — and that it offered evidence that the president-elect was interested in seeking out a diverse array of viewpoints.
Here was an image that surfaced of Romney auditioning for the job …
Reports at the time indicated that Romney lost out on the opportunity because he refused to apologize for going full ‘Never Trumper‘ during the election.
CNN reported in November:
As President-elect Donald Trump considered Mitt Romney for secretary of state, Trump wanted one thing Romney wouldn’t give him: an apology.
Trump was willing to move past Romney’s bitter campaign-trail criticism of him. And incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus, who chaired the Republican National Committee during both men’s presidential campaigns, convinced Trump there was value in showing he was big enough to bring Romney into the fold.
During a speech in Utah, Romney referred to Trump as “a con man, a fake and a phony” who was “playing us for suckers,” thoughts which put him much more in line with Clinton than the mainstream Republican voter.
Perhaps that is why Hillary thought it would be a good thing for Romney to accept the position – somebody with her anti-Trump values could, in her mind, keep the president in check.
Why do you think Hillary wanted Romney to take the secretary of state position? Share your thoughts below.
