After numerous interviews with seasoned politicians such as Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. Bob Corker, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani it appears as if Donald Trump will continue his campaign to “drain the swamp” in Washington by picking an Oil & Gas executive from the nation’s second-most profitable company, Rex Tillerson.
The probably pick is being highlighted as the first major showdown between Trump and his Republican counterparts in Congress, who have thus far backed the mercurial businessman in his pursuits to get the economy going and make America great again.
Considering that, here are five things to know about the secretary of state front-runner Rex Tillerson:
He is Texas born and bred
Wikimedia Commons
Tillerson has oil in his blood, you might say. Hailing from the small North Texas city of Wichita Falls, where a mid-century oil boom (and subsequent bust) provided a middle-class lifestyle for its tens of thousands of residents.
After acquiring an engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin, he was able to get an entry-level job at Exxon down on the Gulf Coast as an engineer before eventually working his way up to the rank of CEO.
Trump gushes about the guy
An interview with Chris Wallace of “Fox News Sunday” in Trump Tower, in New York, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Speaking to Fox News, Trump levied adequate praise upon his supposed secretary of state pick, pointing toward the amount of money his company generates and the “deal-making” he has done with Russia.
“He’s in charge of an oil company that’s pretty much double the size of his next nearest competitor,” Trump said. “It’s been a company that’s been unbelievably managed-and to me a great advantage is he knows many of the players-and he knows them well, he does massive deals in Russia, he does massive deals-for the company, not for himself for the company.”
His $35 billion deal made him a major player
Flickr/William Munoz
Tillerson oversaw Exxon’s acquisition of XTO Energy, a natural gas company, for $35 billion. What followed was a joint venture with Russia’s state-owned oil driller, Rosneft, that secured his relationship with Vladimir Putin making him a “friend of Vladimir.”
Under his tutelage, however, Exxon is producing far less crude oil and refining less gasoline than before Tillerson took the helm in 2006. The company still generates $400 billion in sales, and that comes in the wake of oil prices tanking to the tune of $50 a barrel.
He has several ties to Russia
Exxon’s Rex Tillerson and Russian President Vladimir Putin (Wikimedia Commons)
In addition to receiving the Fraternal order of Friendship from Putin in 2013, Tillerson is also linked to a relationship with the Kremlin’s Igor Sechin. Currently a conservative counselor to President Putin, Sechin previously served as Deputy Prime Minister of Russia until taking a prominent place on the board of directors for Rosneft.
The deal for Exxon to drill in Russian-controlled arctic waters is worth a potential $300 billion, and even if nominated to secretary of state, Tillerson would still have a stake in that deal. The deal’s payoff is contingent upon current U.S. sanctions on Russia from its Crimea occupation to be lifted.
He steered Exxon in its public support of climate science
Flickr/Minale Tattersfield
ExxonMobil is not among the list of climate change denialists. An overwhelming number of climatologists, earth scientists and meteorologists believe that the upward trend in global temperatures are due to human activity, and Exxon admits that it warrants action on our part.
The company also called the Paris Climate agreement — which Trump has threatened to pull the U.S. out of — an “important step” in recognizing the need for countries to work together to create technological solutions that would lower greenhouse gas emissions. It points toward one potential difference in positions although sources close to the decision believe that Tillerson’s international experience in business would make him a fine pick in the increasingly unconventional Cabinet.