James Baker told the CBS Morning team on Wednesday that Donald Trump made an “excellent” choice in nominating Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to serve as secretary of state.
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Baker — who served the Reagan and Bush I administrations as secretary of the Treasury and State Department, respectively — said that Tillerson will do for the American people “what he did for Exxon Mobil: get good deals.”
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“He’s an excellent choice to be secretary of state,” Baker explained. “He has the opportunity to be an extraordinarily effective one because he has themanagement sills. He’s got the experience, international epxerience, and he’s got the negotiating skills to do a very good job.”
The Trump team formally announced Tillerson’s nomination on Tuesday. (RELATED: It’s Official — Trump Taps Tillerson To Head State Department)
James Baker speaks at Time Warner’s Conversations On The Circle on April 2, 2015 in New York City (Getty Images)
“Rex knows how to manage a global enterprise, which is crucial to running a successful State Department, and his relationships with leaders all over the world are second to none,” the President-elect said in a statement. “I can think of no one more prepared, and no one more dedicated, to serve as Secretary of State at this critical time in our history.”