President-elect Donald Trump will be interviewing more people for the vital secretary of State position, but that doesn't mean the initial four names who had topped the list last week — Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Bob Corker, and David Petraeus — are no longer under consideration, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who heads Trump's transition team, said Tuesday.
"The decision is obviously getting a considerable amount of time and attention," Pence told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" program. "What I can tell you the president-elect is doing in all of these cabinet positions, and critical appointments in the administration, is taking the time to meet with men and women of extraordinary caliber and background."
Trump wants the person who will be the best for the country, said Pence, and "he's putting the interest of the nation first."
"He's going to listen to, on an ongoing basis, a broad range of counselors and candidates," Pence said. "I'm confident he's going to choose a secretary of state that's going to be to carry the Trump agenda of putting America first on the world stage."
Pence said phone calls started the day after the election from people interested in being part of Trump's administration, as they share his goals for improving the country..
On MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program, Pence commented that the role of secretary of state is a "unique role historically," and that Trump is taking his time to make his decision.
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"We have have more names that may well be added to the list," said Pence, and Trump will choose "just at the right time" who he'll nominate.
Earlier on the show, co-host Mika Brzezinski reported that the field is still "wide open," and that "sources familiar with Trump's thinking" reported that former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, "is not in serious contention to lead the State Department and never was."
Further, she reported the same sources said retired Gen. David Petraeus is no longer a serious candidate, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is fading out of consideration. In addition, she said, Mitt Romney has returned to the top of the list, and Trump plans to meet with ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson at Trump Tower on Tuesday.
Pence also discussed, on the Fox program, the deal to keep jobs at the Carrier company in his home state of Indiana, noting that talks actually began with the company last year.
"It's easy to score a touchdown when you find yourself on the five-yard line," said Pence, who is the governor of Indiana. "What happened with the president-elect was last February, as governor of Indiana, I learned that Carrier had decided to pull up stakes and go to Mexico. I immediately met with them in early March. I had them come into my office and said could we put together an incentive package and maybe make it more possible to keep those jobs."
However, at that time, Carrier and its move to Mexico was a done deal, but after Trump was elected, "you still had in our president-elect someone who picked up the phone and reached out one American to another, to the leadership of that company, and he said, look, 'we're going to cut taxes on businesses and individuals. We're going to roll back the regulations that are driving companies like yours out of our country. We're going to renegotiate NAFTA in ways to put American jobs and American workers first' and he asked very respectfully, 'would you be able to reconsider your decision to go.'"
And because of Trump's leadership and initiative, "more than a thousand Hoosiers now will have jobs going forward," said Pence.
On the "Morning Joe" program, Pence said "everything is on the table" when it comes to Trump's stance on trade.
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Pence also praised the choice of retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson to head Housing and Urban Development.
"He's a brilliant man," Pence told Fox News on Carson. "He's an extraordinarily humble man. He grew up in Detroit. He grew up in an urban environment and built a life story that's been an inspiration to millions of Americans. He's going to lead that agency with integrity, with great distinction."