Todd Spangler

Detroit Free Press

WASHINGTON — Former Ford Motor CEO Alan Mulally, who helped the Blue Oval automaker avoid bankruptcy and reinvent itself on a global stage, met Thursday with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss the secretary of State post Trump has to fill.

On "Fox & Friends" Friday morning, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway confirmed that Mulally interviewed with Trump in New York on Thursday as the president-elect expands his search for a secretary of State. Trump also met with ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to discuss the job.

"The secretary of State field has obviously broadened and widened," Conway said. "There are a number of people who have come in in recent days and weeks to interview with the president-elect and the vice president-elect."

She added that Mulally, who is widely credited with orchestrating a turnaround at Ford, "obviously did a great job with that company."

Mulally, who currently serves on the board of Google parent Alphabet Inc., retired from the iconic Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker in 2014 after eight years at the helm. He guided Ford through the auto industry's near-collapse, helping Ford avoid bankruptcy and return to profitability, sales gains and new global products.

Prior to joining Ford, Mulally was an executive vice president at aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

It would be an ironic choice for Trump, who has singled out Ford and Boeing for criticism.

During his campaign he derided Ford for expanding automotive production in Mexico, where the company has capitalized on lower-cost labor. Earlier this week, Trump suggested, without evidence, that Boeing may be overcharging for a future version of Air Force One.

There's also a stark contrast in style between Trump and Mulally. Mulally is relentlessly positive, cheery and on message and rarely criticizes, whereas Trump is regularly negative and critical.

While Trump has settled on several members of his Cabinet, he has yet to pick a secretary of State, though several candidates appear to be under consideration, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former CIA Director and retired Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.

"You can’t rush through such an important selection," Conway said Friday.

Contributing: Nathan Bomey of USA TODAY

Follow Detroit Free Press reporter Todd Spangler on Twitter @tsspangler.