Clean energy entrepreneur Elon Musk tweeted that the former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson had “the potential to be an excellent Sec of State” on Tuesday.
That came just hours after a Senate panel voted to approve the former oil tycoon for the State Department role — and not long after The Economist tweeted a December op-ed titled “Give Rex a change.”
This may sound surprising coming from me, but I agree with The Economist. Rex Tillerson has the potential to be an excellent Sec of State.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 24, 2017
The article noted Tillerson’s business acumen, and his ability to run “operations in some of the most inhospitable parts of the world, from ice-encrusted Sakhalin in the Russian Far East, to poverty-stricken Chad.”
Musk, who runs Tesla Motors, had a similar rational for saying Tillerson had the potential to be an excellent Secretary of State. In a follow-up tweet, Musk explained that “Rex is an exceptionally competent executive.”
Rex is an exceptionally competent executive, understands geopolitics and knows how to win for his team. His team is now the USA.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 24, 2017
Like Tillerson, Musk also has the president’s ear. Musk was added to his business advisory forum known as Trump’s Strategic and Policy forum. It’s unclear if they have ever met.