Say what you will about Donny Deutsch, but the man-about-Manhattan and the Hamptons moves in the Trump social circle and is well-connected there.

So attention must be paid to Deutsch’s declaration on today’s With All Due Respect. Asked by Mark Halperin whether the talk about Romney being considered for Secretary of State is “real, whether Romney might end up with the job,” Deutsch responded: “somebody very, very, very high up in the inner [Trump] circle yesterday told me it was very, very real,” and that this person was “very excited about it.”

Halperin prefaced his question to Deutsch by mentioning that that the prospect of Romney as Secretary of State has been met with very favorable reactions. That might be a kiss of death among conservatives, but the fact is that Romney has demonstrated a good understanding of the opportunities and threats facing America around the world.

MARK HALPERIN: Twenty-four hours ago, we talked on this program about Donald Trump’s planned tete-a-tete with Mitt Romney this weekend. The meeting is on. Several sources say that this is not just for show and it’s going to be a serious discussion about a possible cabinet position, Secretary of State’s most often mentioned for the former Republican presidential nominee. So far, the reaction to the prospect of Romney as Secretary of State has been met with very favorable views, including from Capitol Hill, though one source told me today that this meeting is in fact just for show. I’m not sure at this point where it really stands, but as I said, the reactions to the prospect have been positive, so Donny, what’s your gut on whether this is real, whether Romney might end up with the job? DONNY DEUTSCH: Somebody very, very, very high up in the inner [Trump] circle yesterday told me it was very, very real. They were very excited about it. They were one of the people very behind it. Look, we talked about this yesterday. This would be such a tremendous gesture, it would put so many people at ease.



