Washington, D.C. – Donald Trump has selected ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of State. Additionally, reports floating claim that Trump will nominate Rick Perry for secretary of Energy.
Although Tillerson has no formal foreign policy experience, he has built an empire and close relationships with many world leaders along the way.
Select Republicans such as Sens. John McCain and Marco Rubio are deeply disturbed by the close relationship Tillerson has forged with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tillersons possible selection has also been condemned by a number of environmentalists, who have allied with Democratic attorneys general to pursue a high-profile, multi-state probe into ExxonMobil that has sputtered in recent months.
Mr. Trump met with Mr. Tillerson for more than two hours on Saturday at Trump Tower in Manhattan. To his aides, Mr. Trump described Mr. Tillerson as in a different “league” than his other options.
In addition, Tillerson will have to deal with climate issues because the State Department is the lead agency in international climate negotiations. Unlike Trump, Tillerson has said that he believes that climate change is real and has favored a revenue-neutral carbon tax of more than $20 a ton.