Ric Grenell, a leading candidate to take a top national security post, is a fierce Donald Trump loyalist who the former president calls his ‘envoy’ and who says the nation needs a ‘son of a b****’ running diplomacy.
Grenell has been mentioned as a potential national security advisor or head of the CIA. With Republicans set to control the Senate and confirmation fights won’t be an issue, he is also in the running to be Secretary of State.
Grenell is a political pugilist who served as his acting Director of National Intelligence at a time when Trump and his House GOP allies were suspicious of what Trump terms the ‘Deep State.’
As such, he became the first openly gay cabinet secretary.
He also served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany, a critical post, given how U.S.-Germany relations were sometimes strained during Trump’s term. Trump praised his ‘guts’ at the conclusion of his tumultuous tenure.
Ric Grenell, who was born in Michigan and served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany, is being floated for top security posts
He has continued as part of Trump’s inner circle. Trump referred to Grenell as his ‘envoy’ during his time out of the White House, as Grenell turned up overseas and made contacts with foreign officials.
Grenell meant wet with right wing officials in Guatemala to Eastern Europe. The Washington Post said he was acting as a sort of ‘secretary of state’ for Trump, noting in a headline that ‘neither are in office.’
‘Grenell’s globe-trotting has sparked deep concern among career national security officials and diplomats, who warn that he emboldens bad actors and jeopardizes U.S. interests in service of Trump’s personal agenda,’ the paper wrote. It said he had proposed a 2023 meeting in New York between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
There is often a divide between national security types and people who do politics. Grennel has a foot in both camps.
He campaigned for Trump in battleground states, taking the stage in Grand Rapids at Trump’s final rally. Trump has praised him as ‘a fighter’ during rally introductions, a high complement for Trump in a contest where his ‘fight, fight, fight’ mantra became a dominant theme.
‘It’s good to be home,’ he told the crowd. ‘I’m a Michigander. I play a Californian on TV, but I was born in Muskegon.’
‘As my mom will tell you, we West siders always vote right’ – referencing the Republican parts of the state – but if it wasn’t for Detroit, he wouldn’t be winning these elections.’
One GOP official noted he helped lead negotiations with Arab and Muslim officials in the state for Trump. Trump made a play for the traditionally Democratic voters amid fury over Israel’s war in Gaza. He needed up carrying the state.
Trump has praised Grenell’s tenacity and ‘guts’ after he ended his sting as U.S. ambassador to Germany
Grenell stumped for Trump in battleground states
He has a provocative account on X
He has clashed with liberals, but could get through a Republican controlled Senate
He helped Trump with outreach to Arab American and Muslim voters, who helped deliver Michigan to him
Grenell has a brash Twitter account where he takes on rivals in the media. At 2am after Election Day, about half an hour after posting about Trump’s win, he wrote: ‘Reporters need to ask themselves what they missed about Americans.’ Then a few minutes later he wrote, ‘Kamala not conceding is undermining our Democracy.’
When the race was over, he posted his thanks to voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, along with pictures of himself meeting people on the campaign trail. ‘Your stories have changed me. Your patriotism is inspiring,’ he wrote.
When the ‘End Wokeness’ account posted the final results in Dearborn, Michigan – where Trump’s outreach paid off – he reposted the response and wrote ‘Yalla’ in response, Arabic for ‘let’s go.’
A May New York Times profile strung detailed his role in the ‘war room’ in Nevada during Trump’s election overturn effort, where Grenell set himself up in the Venetian along with key staff.
The paper quoted unnamed operatives who told them to ‘throw spaghetti on the wall’ to distract the media from calling the state for Trump.
He has spoken about the role of secretary of state, prizing toughness in the role.
‘If you want to avoid war, you better have a son of a bitch as the secretary of state,” he said on an episode of the current events podcast ‘Self Centered.’
He said the nation needs a tough diplomat ‘who goes in to these tables and says: “Guys, if we don’t solve this here, if we don’t represent peace and figure out a tough way, I’ve got to take this file, go back to the United States and transfer it to the secretary of defense, who doesn’t negotiate. He’s going to bomb you.”’
That is the same kind of rhetoric that Trump himself deploys – speaking regularly on the campaign trail about giving a warning to ‘Abdul’, a top Taliban official. As Trump sells it, he wanted the Taliban to stop firing on U.S. troops, and sent the official a picture of his house – an implied threat.
Grenell has some detractors.
When a reporter posted that he was under consideration for the top post at Langley, former FBI agent Asha Rangappa posted: ‘God help us.’
Former Biden domestic policy advisor Susan Rice called him ‘one of the most nasty, dishonest people I’ve ever encountered.’
When Trump first nominated, Senate Democrats held up his nomination for months, based in part on his Twitter battles. Deleted tweets that got him in hot water included saying Michelle Obama was ‘sweating on the East Room carpet’ with her workout regimen.
‘The conversations I’ve had, it’s like, hey, we’re looking for people that are loyal to the president and his agenda,’ said one former Trump administration official who said Grenell was in the mix.
Grenell has partnered with Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner on a hotel project in the Balkans.
In 2013 he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His doctors successfully treated the disease with chemotherapy.
He does have a soft spot.
He brings his dog on the road, even on assignment. When he was stationed in Berlin, Grenell posted an image of his pooch wearing shades in front of an American flag.
‘Happy 4th of July from Ambassador Grenell and his precious, patriotic dog, Lola,’ he wrote.
