The American Conservative can confirm that President-elect Donald Trump’s search for secretary of State has narrowed to four candidates: Richard “Ric” Grenell, his former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence; Marco Rubio, the Florida senator and runner-up to be Trump’s vice president; Bill Hagerty, the Tennessee senator and his former ambassador to Japan; and Vivek Ramaswamy, the former presidential candidate–turned –fierce Trump surrogate.
While Ramaswamy is by far the most surprising entrant in the sweepstakes, his selection would be a callback to history.
Trump shocked the world by selecting ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to head up Foggy Bottom back in 2016. This time, however, the selection process is expected to be far more expedited, with a decision and announcement possible as soon as Monday.
And far from being a former Jeb Bush donor, Ramaswamy has staked out ground since his 2023–24 presidential bid as a Trumpist par excellence, pushing the envelope as the party under Trump seeks to jettison figures with Bush wing baggage.
