A potential consensus candidate as White House national security adviser is emerging — U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard “Ric” Grenell, who is expected to dine with President Trump on Saturday.
One former White House official said Grenell, 52, a Trump family favorite, has enacted key Trump policies, from resisting a Russian pipeline to Germany to demanding NATO members pay more for their own defense, and may be a “middle ground” pick to replace John Bolton.
As a former U.S. spokesman at the United Nations, working for Bolton, Grenell “passes the resume test,” the former official said, and likely “is the best reflection of President Trump’s worldview.”
If selected for the post, Grenell would be the most prominent openly gay official in the Trump administration.
The former official added: “I think he’s the best option and could be a unifying option as well. I’m not sure the Bolton crowd likes him very much, but that should be a badge of honor.”
Trump’s time frame for picking a replacement for Bolton has been extended as factions vie to put their person in the post, the Washington Examiner has learned.
A senior administration official told the Washington Examiner Friday that “the goal is to announce [a selection] next week, but nothing is set in stone.” It was “more important to make the right choice than be on a specific timeline,” the senior official said.
In announcing Bolton’s departure on Twitter, Trump wrote Monday that he would name a successor “next week.” On Wednesday, he said there were five contenders. But then Thursday evening, Trump said there were 15 candidates in what had suddenly become a free-for-all.
Grenell, the former official noted, is “hard line against Iran but suspicious of foreign intervention, wants to withdraw from Afghanistan, and wants NATO to pay their fair share … He’s also refused to sign off on DOD’s attempts to add additional troop deployments in Germany.”
“I have a feeling it will be Ric,” said a different insider.
Key supporters are pushing Trump to select a candidate who agrees with his vision to withdraw troops from foreign wars while pursuing diplomacy with traditional foes. But backers of a more traditional, hawkish foreign policy are also in the running.
Among the contenders are retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor, noninterventionist favorite, Grenell, and Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Ricky Waddell, a deputy national security adviser under Bolton predecessor H.R. McMaster.
The names of an array of conventional candidates with diplomatic experience and more hawkish worldviews are circulating, including U.S. Iran envoy Brian Hook and U.S. envoy to North Korea Stephen Biegun.
Trump downplayed on Thursday the possibility that he would pick Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to serve both roles, as did Henry Kissinger in the 1970s. But a source close to the White House said Pompeo, who regularly lunches with Trump, will be influential, potentially helping Waddell or Biegun.
“A lot of people want the job,” Trump said Thursday, joking: “It’s a lot of fun to work with Donald Trump. And it’s very easy, actually, to work with me. You know why it’s easy? Because I make all the decisions. They don’t have to work.”
The senior position comes with a corner office in the West Wing but poor job security. Trump’s choice will be his fourth permanent national security adviser. The role is currently held in an acting capacity by Charles Kupperman, Bolton’s deputy.
Macgregor, a retired Army colonel who has appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program, has won support from key constituencies for his advocacy of withdrawing from Afghanistan and Syria. But detractors view him as strong-willed and likely to clash with Trump, even if they agree on many policies.
“Macgregor’s big problem is the president doesn’t really know him,” said the former White House official who spoke about Grenell.
Still, a senior administration official said Macgregor’s name has floated at the highest levels. A source close to the White House said, meanwhile, “I think Biegun has a strong chance. Pompeo really likes him.”
Trump did not publicly unveil his list of 15 candidates, and the White House would not divulge details of the selection process.
A source close to Trump told the Washington Examiner last year that Grenell was a potential replacement for Nikki Haley as U.N. ambassador. He was back on the list after Heather Nauert withdrew her name from consideration but the position eventually went to Kelly Craft.
