NEW YORK, United States (Reuters) — President-elect Donald Trump and his chief of staff-designate Reince Priebus dined with former Trump critic 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in New York on Tuesday (November 29) night.
During the presidential campaign, Romney called Trump a “phony” and “a fraud” but he paid a visit to Trump earlier this month and then dined with the president-elect.
The meetings are fueling speculation that Romney is under consideration as secretary of state.
It is unclear what role Romney will play in a foreign policy team that also includes more hawkish officials such as Michael Flynn, Trump’s choice for national security advisor, and Representative Mike Pompeo, his designated CIA director.
In some administrations, including George W. Bush’s and President Barack Obama’s, power has been concentrated in the White House. In others, including Ronald Reagan’s, cabinet secretaries have had running battles for control of some issues. In the Nixon administration, Henry Kissinger, who has advised Trump, dominated policy making, first as national security advisor, then as Secretary of State.