Joe Biden has chosen former Deputy Secretary of State (2015-2017) Antony Blinken (left) as his Secretary of State and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a career foreign service official, as his UN Ambassador (which will be elevated back to a cabinet position), according to reports.
The NYT reports: [Blinken’s] extensive foreign policy credentials are expected to help calm American diplomats and global leaders alike after four years of the Trump administration’s ricocheting strategies and nationalist swaggering.”
Axios first reported the Thomas-Greenfield pick: “The decision would be in line with Biden’s pledge to name a diverse Cabinet. It’s likely he will pick a woman or a person of color — or both — as his White House press secretary, and Democrats are urging him to nominate several Latinos to high-profile Cabinet positions.”
Michele Flournoy was floated as a possible Defense Secretary pick last week.
“Jake Sullivan, formerly one of Hillary Clinton’s closest aides, is likely to be named Biden’s national security adviser,” Bloomberg adds.
The Washington Post reports: “Their placement into key positions offers one of the first windows into the administration Biden is hoping to build. If Trump’s administration was designed to upset the pillars of government and global order, Biden’s appears aimed at rebuilding it with people who have held similar roles in the past. All three expected nominees also served in the Obama administration, a clear sign that Biden will rely on people who held key roles the last time he served in Washington.”
Biden is expected to make the announcements official on Tuesday.
