Donald Trump spoke about his upcoming inauguration, his administration picks, and his vice president during the Chairman’s Global Dinner in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night.
During the event at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Trump said he had a range of choices for vice president, but was ultimately happy he selected Mike Pence.
“Oh, I had a couple of beauties I could have picked,” he said, according to a pool report. “They were good too but maybe wouldn’t have worked out like Mike.”
Trump also had some interesting words about his secretary of state pick, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson.
“I think it’s tougher than he thought,” Trump said of nominating Tillerson for the top diplomat position, according to a pool reporter. “He’s led this charmed life. He goes into a country, takes the oil, goes into another country. It’s tough dealing with these politicians, right? He’s going to be so incredible.”
Trump also said he was proud of his whole slew of administration picks.
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“We have put together a team, I think, the likes of which has never been assembled,” he said.
The president-elect also said that his administration has “set records in so many different ways,” but “they don’t love talking about that on the news.”
“So many people are talking about what’s going on,” Trump said, referring to his upcoming inauguration on Friday. “Now I think they’ve announced we’re going to have record crowds coming.”
Trump did not specify in his speech where he received that information from.
Trump also told the group: ‘‘We have great respect for your countries. We have great respect for our world.’’
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The comments came during the black-tie Chairman’s Global Dinner, a pre-inauguration event that drew nearly 150 diplomats and ambassadors.
There were an assortment of notable figures at the dinner, according to a pool reporter, including Dan Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins; actor Jon Voight; casino mogul Steve Wynn; and Rudy Giuliani, among others.
The menu included mustard black cod and filet mignon for entrees, and individual baked Alaska with fresh raspberries for dessert.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.