An associate of MAGA loyalist Ric Grenell approached conservative social media influencers last month and offered them contracts worth thousands of dollars to post approvingly about Grenell as he attempted to get President-elect Donald Trump to nominate him for secretary of state, according to Politico.
Even before the election, Grenell – who served in Trump’s first administration as the ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence – made it clear privately that he wanted to become Trump’s secretary of state.
One source told Politico that Grenell informed Trump’s inner circle it was State “or bust” for him.
Following Trump’s victory and with Grenell actively lobbying for the position, a flurry of social media activity from prominent right-wing accounts suddenly began advocating for the incoming president to choose Grenell for secretary of state.
One contract that was obtained by Politico from Grenell’s associate called for the influencer to promote Grenell during “peak posting times,” adding that the “content must appear genuine” and should not suggest that it is “an overt advertisement or promotional message.” According to sources who spoke to Politico, the contracts for the social media campaign were worth up to five figures.
Ultimately, the effort didn’t work.
Even though Grenell was one of Trump’s fiercest fighters throughout the election campaign and the president-elect has shown a willingness to nominate MAGA diehards for high-profile posts, Trump decided to go with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as his top diplomat.
The snub of Grenell sparked a MAGA backlash, with many prominent far-right supporters of the president-elect complaining that Rubio would be a “disaster” as secretary of state. “Might as well give Liz Cheney the State Department,” conservative comic Dave Smith tweeted. “Awful sign.”
Politico also reported that there “is no evidence” showing Grenell was directly involved with the social media campaign. When reached for comment, the always pugnacious Grenell – a renowned Twitter troll – told a Politico journalist they were an “unserious gossip reporter and that “none of this was true.”
While Grenell quickly came to terms that Rubio had won out over him, he has also apparently turned down offers to other positions within the incoming Trump administration. He reportedly refused an appointment as director of national intelligence, instead claiming he’d prefer to help far-right extremist Kash Patel get through his controversial nomination as FBI director. Still, those within Trump’s orbit believe that he may still get an important role in the White House.
Though his reputation for being difficult may have been one of the factors weighing against him for secretary of state, the nomination process for a Cabinet-level spot could have also given Trump pause – especially with the president-elect dealing with headaches related to some of his other nominees.
According to Politico, some within Trump’s circle were worried that Grenell’s foreign business dealings would have been scrutinized by the Senate – notably a $500 million project in Belgrade with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
