Maybe Ford's Not so Bad? Ex-CEO Mulally in Running for Secretary of State

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

The election campaign feud made countless headlines, but President-elect Donald Trump and Ford Motor Company could soon share a unique bond — assuming one man gets a plum job.

Trump’s transition team has revealed that ex-Ford CEO Alan Mulally is being considered for the position of Secretary of State.

First reported by Fox News, Mulally joins hopefuls that include Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who shared a fairly appealing spread with the president-elect at a New York restaurant last week.

The Trump team met with Mulally yesterday.

According to campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, the team’s ideal pick is someone outside of the Washington establishment, hence the business and military-heavy candidates. Mulally, she said, would be an “interesting” choice.

Serving as president and CEO of Ford from September 5, 2006 to July 1, 2014, Mulally guided the automaker through the most tumultuous period in its history, avoiding the bankruptcy that befell General Motors and Chrysler. Under his watch, Ford divested itself of Volvo, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, and most of its Mazda stake. New product strategies emerged, and Ford rode out of the recession on a wave of prosperity.

Before Ford, Mulally served as a high-ranking executive at Boeing, eventually gaining the title of CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Trump’s consideration comes as something of a surprise, given his past treatment Ford. The president-elect singled the automaker out for sending production of small cars to Mexico, though the relationships has since thawed, at least somewhat. Still, Trump’s threat of tariffs on vehicles imported from Mexico hasn’t gone away.

[Image: Ford Motor Company]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Mikein541 Mikein541 on Dec 10, 2016

    I'd rather he be considered for Sec Def. Marine Generals are fine as members of Joint Chiefs of Staff, but you need someone who has run a very large business successfully as Sec Def. Mulally fits that description.

    • See 1 previous
    • WheelMcCoy WheelMcCoy on Dec 10, 2016

      A quick google search showed this: By law, the civilian leader of the U.S. Military needs to be retired from active military service for at least seven years, so Mattis will need a special waiver.

  • NoGoYo NoGoYo on Dec 10, 2016

    Donald Trump should have Vince McMahon as Secretary of State. "All right ISIS, you want to mess with America? Well let's see how you do...AT WRESTLEMANIA!!!!!!!!"

  • 28-Cars-Later 28-Cars-Later on Dec 10, 2016

    His wife is now the head of the SBA IIRC.

  • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Dec 11, 2016

    President-Elect Trump's interviews for State look like a dog and pony show. I'll bet he's got somebody lined up and is delaying the announcement to keep the opposition off-balance. Meanwhile, he's making the press look bad with their predictions of the announcement date and who has been chosen. DJT has until Christmas to keep it going, and I'll bet he's enjoying every minute of it.

    • See 1 previous
    • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Dec 12, 2016

      @mason Nominated. He's highly controversial, even for the Republicans. I would wonder why DJT would butt heads with his party establishment like that, unless there's something else going on. Then again, Donald Trump may not be as diabolical as I think he is.

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