David Petraeus’s performance on a Sunday talk show is shaping up as a high-stakes test of how he’d handle mounting concerns about his prospective nomination to be secretary of state, according to four people with knowledge of President-elect Donald Trump’s selection process.

Trump’s team will closely review Petraeus’s appearance on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” to see how he handles questions about his past that are bogging down his prospects for nomination and could prevent his confirmation, said the people with knowledge of the process.


The retired general and former CIA director cleared the appearance with Trump’s team before committing to it, said one of the people, who explained that Petraeus’s advisers see it as a good opportunity for him to prove that he can deftly handle any questions that senators might raise during confirmation hearings.

A Trump transition team official said “it’s not sink or swim, but it’s a good chance to see how he does.”

It’s difficult to overestimate the importance of television presence in Trump’s decision-making. In building his team for the campaign and now for his nascent administration, Trump has gravitated to people capable of making an impression and driving a message on television. He told people around him that he thought that his Vice President-elect Mike Pence looked the part, and he has said the same about that his onetime bitter critic Mitt Romney, who sources say has emerged as Trump’s favorite for secretary of state.

Ret. Gen. Jack Keane, who has known Petraeus since the late 1980s, pointed out that Petraeus is no stranger to the Sunday show circuit, and predicted he’d accord himself well on Sunday.

“Everyone knows he’s articulate, that he can deal very effectively with the media and with challenging questions. I’m sure he’ll get questions on his past. He knows that or he wouldn’t be going on TV. But he’s had those previously,” said Keane.

Petraeus’s baggage — most notably a 2015 guilty plea for providing classified information to his lover — was always seen by Trump’s team as an impediment to the president-elect tapping Petraeus for a cabinet post, partly because of concerns that some Senators would be loath to vote for his confirmation.

But Petraeus’s path to becoming the nation’s top diplomat became even narrower after recent developments, including heightened attention over Trump’s campaign-trail calls to prosecute his vanquished Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information. Trump has since backed away from that stance, which has angered some of his supporters.

And the announcement this week that another former high-ranking military official, retired Marine Corps Gen. Jim Mattis, would be nominated to be Trump’s defense secretary may have diminished Petraeus’s odds further, raising concerns about having too many generals in a Trump cabinet.

Trump aides cast Petraeus as a longshot from the beginning who was included on the short list of finalists for secretary of state because of the high regard in which he is held on both sides of the aisle, and his unquestioned mastery of world affairs.

Trump has seemed receptive to arguments from Petraeus’s supporters that his pros outweigh his cons, according to several people working with the transition effort. They say that Petraeus’s prospects rose when other leading contenders sparked blowback.

Some of Trump’s allies balked at his consideration of Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee who had called Trump a “fake” and a “con man” during the campaign. Another leading contender for the post, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, sparked objections from across the political spectrum. Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said on Friday morning that Sen. Bob Corker — whose fans include both Republicans and Democrats – is also in the running.

But the transition sources said that Trump had come to favor Romney for the post even before Petraeus arrived for an hour-long sit down with the president-elect at Trump Tower this week.

After the meeting, Trump tweeted that he “was very impressed” with Petraeus. And Petraeus told reporters that Trump, who has very limited foreign policy experience, “showed a great grasp of a variety of the challenges that are out there and some of the opportunities, as well. Very good conversation, and we’ll see where it goes from here.”

A representative from Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Despite his ignominious fall from grace, Petraeus enjoys strong relationships on the Hill, where some Republicans have expressed support for a possible nomination.

A chief of staff to a Republican senator said Petraeus’s reputation is “outstanding,” predicting that, not only would Republicans rally to support his nomination, but they would “want to be photographed with him … They’d be knocking each other out of the way."

And support from the GOP conference would be enough to win confirmation, the chief of staff pointed out, since then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2013 did away with the filibuster for presidential nominations.

Someone close to the transition process said that from the perspective of subject matter expertise and competence, “I would be thrilled” with a Petraeus nomination.

But the person predicted the confirmation process would be “a mess” and that senators are "worried about having to vote on Petraeus” because of his past.

His guilty plea for mishandling classified information became even more relevant during the campaign, when Trump called for Clinton to be prosecuted for mishandling classified information.

Candidate Trump encouraged chants of “Lock her up” at his rallies despite the fact that charges were never brought against Clinton, whereas Petraeus pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years’ probation and fined $100,000. He remains on probation until April 2017.

People close to Petraeus concede that his past — as well as concerns about having too many generals in the cabinet — are obstacles.

But they say Petraeus was willing to deal with the renewed scrutiny of his past because he thinks he is uniquely equipped to handle the geopolitical challenges facing the country, and that the attention hasn’t fazed him.

When news outlets this week began reporting on the terms of Petraeus’s probation — including the requirement that he notify authorities within 72 hours of any new job — the retired general joked that at least his probation officer would know his where he was, according to an advisor.

“He's been the same happy warrior throughout this process,” said the advisor. "General Petraeus showed exceptional character by fully owning what he did wrong and taken full responsibility for what transpired."

The advisor added that Petraeus “sees what’s happening in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan along with the rest of world and thinks he can make a difference. If you look at the merits and what this job entails, General Petraeus is undoubtedly the most qualified candidate in the field. He is battle tested and will be ready on day one. He has the experience and relationships necessary around the world to serve the United States as our Secretary of State."

And Petraeus, a decorated four-star Army general who commanded U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan before taking over the CIA, seems to have support on Trump’s team.

After Mattis’s pending nomination was announced, the retired Marine Corps general suggested privately to associates that he would support Petraeus’s nomination as secretary of state, according to a source briefed on the matter.

Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has known Petraeus for 30 years, argued that the concerns about Petraeus’s confirmability are overblown, and that even Democrats would feel pressure to support him.

“He’s extremely well respected by both parties,” said O’Hanlon. “Democrats are going to have to decide if they really want to fight over this and my guess is that they would say ‘no,’ because they understand how capable Petraeus is and he will be smart. He will accept full responsibility for his wrongdoing.”

