DALLAS (CNN MONEY/WBAP/KLIF News) – The face of Big Oil could become America’s top diplomat.
President-elect Donald Trump is interviewing ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson on Tuesday to consider him for the secretary of state position, according to one Trump aide.
Tillerson has been with the Irving based oil corporation for more than 40 years, beginning first as an Engineer then working his way up to the top post.
The Texas native is considered a long shot for the prestigious Cabinet role, but a Trump aide told CNN that the president-elect is intrigued by the oil man’s view of the world.
If selected, Tillerson would be the latest multimillionaire to join Trump’s cabinet and he could prove to be a controversial pick. Not only does Tillerson run the world’s most valuable oil company, the Exxon CEO also has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2013, Putin awarded Tillerson the country’s Order of Friendship.
Tillerson, 64, has served as the head of the Exxon oil empire since 2006. He will reach the company’s mandatory retirement age of 65 in March and is expected to retire then. Exxon has not commented on the reason for the meeting with Trump.
(CNN contributed to this story. Copyright 2016. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.)