The Trump administration is expected to appoint Cindy McCain, the wife of Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainKelly's lead widens to 10 points in Arizona Senate race: poll COVID response shows a way forward on private gun sale checks Trump pulls into must-win Arizona trailing in polls MORE (R-Ariz.), to a role in the State Department, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

Which position McCain could step into is not yet clear, though one potential option could be as an ambassador-at-large — a post in which she could focus on a specific issue, such as human trafficking.

The McCains discussed possible choices with President Trump during a dinner at the White House last month, the AP reported.

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John McCain, the powerful chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee and 2008 GOP presidential nominee, has been fiercely critical of Trump's foreign policy and national security operation since before the real estate mogul entered the White House.

He has taken particularly sharp aim at Trump's proposed "America first" vision of foreign policy, which downplays the U.S. role in state building and foreign military intervention. McCain has also ripped Trump over his friendlier approach to Russia and other adversaries of the U.S.

But as he faces mounting foreign policy challenges in Syria and North Korea, Trump has begun to take a traditional approach to international relations. In recent weeks, Trump has toughened his tone with regards to Russia, a major ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and has taken a more adversarial stance toward North Korea amid heightened international concerns over Pyongyang's weapons programs.

By placing Cindy McCain in a senior role in his administration, Trump could deescalate tensions between himself and conservative foreign policy establishment figures, such as McCain and fellow GOP hawk Sen. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamSenate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden Loeffler calls for hearing in wake of Netflix's 'Cuties' Quinnipiac poll shows Graham, Harrison tied in South Carolina Senate race MORE (S.C.).