President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE said Wednesday that “everyone and their uncle” wants outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis James Norman MattisBiden courts veterans amid fallout from Trump military controversies Trump says he wanted to take out Syria's Assad but Mattis opposed it Gary Cohn: 'I haven't made up my mind' on vote for president in November MORE’s job, before quickly adding "and her aunt" so he "won't be criticized."

“I will say that I've got everybody — everybody and his uncle wants that position,” Trump said. “And also, by the way, everybody and her aunt — just so I won't be criticized for that last statement,” he added.

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Trump's comments came during a surprise trip to Iraq to visit with U.S. troops on Wednesday.

The president indicated that he is in “no rush” to name a permanent successor for Mattis, who announced his resignation last week.

The president's remarks came as he told reporters at the al-Asad Air Base in Iraq that new acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan Patrick Michael ShanahanHouse Armed Services chairman expresses confidence in Esper amid aircraft carrier coronavirus crisis Boeing pleads for bailout under weight of coronavirus, 737 fallout Esper's chief of staff to depart at end of January MORE "could be there for a long time."

Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, was named Mattis’s deputy in July 2017 after serving less than two years in the government.

“So Shanahan was at Boeing and did a great job at Boeing. He was there for a long time,” Trump said, according to a poll report. “Boeing is a hell of a company. He did a great job — very responsible for the success of a certain plane, the Dreamliner. And he's a respected man.”

Mattis resigned following Trump’s announcement that he planned to pull U.S. troops from Syria, claiming victory over the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

He wrote in a resignation letter that the president deserved a Defense secretary whose views “align” with Trump’s.