Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the leading candidate to be President-elect Donald Trump`s nominee for secretary of state, people familiar with the matter said, a move that would elevate a well-known national figure to become the U.S.`s chief diplomat, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Trump`s aides have also considered former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton as a possible candidate, but the close relationship between Messrs. Giuliani and Trump was a major consideration, the people said.
Asked at The Wall Street Journal CEO Council meeting in Washington on Monday evening if his title would soon be ”Secretary,” Mr. Giuliani responded, ”One never knows.”
Mr. Giuliani also said that Mr. Bolton would be a good choice for secretary of state. He was then asked if there was a better choice than Mr. Bolton and he replied, ”Maybe me, I don`t know.”
For Mr. Trump, it is a choice between a longtime friend and ally in New York, Mr. Giuliani, and a hawkish conservative diplomat, Mr. Bolton, who called last year for the U.S. to bomb Iran. A final decision could be several weeks away, these people said, and other candidates could still emerge.
