Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who withdrew his name from consideration for secretary of state, signaled Friday he would like President-elect Trump to choose former United Nations ambassador John Bolton over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to lead the State Department.
“John would probably be my choice, I think John is terrific,” Giuliani told Fox News host Neil Cavuto.
Giuliani, who has stood by Trump’s side through the toughest moments of the general election, said he would support any person the president-elect picks for top diplomat, but said he has his concerns about Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee.
“I thought Mitt went over the line in the things he said about Donald Trump, and the president-elect is going to make his decision. I will support that decision,” Giuliani added. “But my advice would be, Mitt went just a little too far to — you can make friends and make up, but I don’t — I would not see him as a candidate for the Cabinet.”
On Nov. 29, Giuliani informed the transition team that he decided against pursuing a role in the administration but Trump’s team did not accept his request not to be considered for an administration role until now. Giuliani said Trump’s transition also talked with him about other positions.
The “whole thing was becoming kind of very confusing and very difficult for the president-elect and my desire to be in the Cabinet was great but it wasn’t that great,” Giuliani said. “I thought I could play a better role being on the outside and continuing to be his close friend and adviser. That’s the role I played during the campaign. I never worked for the campaign, I was never part of it — gave me a certain degree of independence in being able to give advice.”
