Muslim supporters of President-elect Donald Trump have urged him to appoint former Ambassador to Germany Ric Grenell as secretary of state, citing his efforts during the just-concluded election campaign.
In a weekend letter, addressed to Trump and newly minted White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and shared with The Post, a group calling itself Muslims and Middle Eastern Americans for Trump said Grenell’s “dedicated outreach to our communities won over many Muslim and Arab voters and helped flip key precincts that were once reliably Democrat.”
“The deployment of Ambassador Richard Grenell and his dedication to engaging our communities to vote for you was a challenging mission — one few could have undertaken with such tenacity and skill,” the signatories wrote.
A source close to Grenell told The Post the ex-envoy is in discussions for the secretary of state position, but added that nothing is finalized until Trump makes the final decision.
“He [Grenell] wants secretary of state and that’s where he thinks he can really best advance President Trump’s peace vision,” the source said, noting that Grenell sat in on a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Trump Tower back in September.
Grenell, 58, became the first openly gay man to serve in a cabinet-level position when Trump appointed him acting director of national intelligence in February 2020.
A Michigan native, Grenell was a featured speaker at Trump’s final pre-election rally in Grand Rapids and often was picked to speak to majority-Arab communities in the Wolverine State.
Trump became the first Republican to win Michigan twice since Ronald Reagan and won the Arab American strongholds of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights over Democrat Kamala Harris.
Grenell’s name has been floated for secretary of state alongside Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).
Trump himself has also spoken positively about the possibility of Grenell having a national security role in his administration.
“Ambassador Grenell’s work in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina brought record numbers of former Democrat voters to support you and your resounding message of peace,” the letter went on.
“After spending much time with him on the campaign trail, listening to his speeches, and watching him engage our communities, we firmly believe that Ambassador Grenell would best implement your America First vision around the world.”
