Jon Huntsman, Jr.: The son of billionaire Huntsman Corp. founder Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor and 2012 presidential candidate is rumored to be under consideration for Secretary of State.
Trump connection: Huntsman, Jr. endorsed Trump in May but called on him to bow out of the race in October after audio showed Trump bragging about committing sexual assault in 2005 (Trump dismissed it as “locker room talk”).
A former governor of Utah, former ambassador to China, former ambassador to Singapore, and former U.S. trade representative, Huntsman currently serves as ambassador to Russia. Extremely well-versed in national security policy and fluent in Mandarin, Huntsman's dual-experience in China and Russia would allow him to continue Mattis' reforms towards better preparing America for great power struggles. Huntsman's particular knowledge of and experience with the Chinese would be of instrumental value here. After all, China's challenge to the U.S.-led international order will define questions of security for the foreseeable future. Yet, where Huntsman posseses Trump's respect, he also retains the confidence of the Senate. That matters because senators will be looking for a Mattis replacement who they believe will offer competency and hard advice to the president. They will be rightly cautious against confirming someone who will simply tell Trump what he wants to hear.