In the case of Trump loyalist Ric Grenell, loyalty did not trump all

As Richard Grenell made a bid after the election to be Donald Trump’s secretary of State, a flurry of social media posts from MAGA influencers started popping up, advocating for the president-elect to pick him.

Around the same time, an associate of Grenell had approached conservative social media influencers, according to two people with knowledge of the situation, offering paid contracts of as much as five figures to post favorably about Grenell.

One such contract, obtained by POLITICO and not previously reported, outlined that the influencer would do so during “peak posting times,” that “content must appear genuine,” and it could not “appear as an overt advertisement or promotional message.”

The proposed paid social media campaign, which the organizers told POLITICO never took off, illustrates the lengths to which people close to Grenell went to ensure he got the job. And Grenell, who typically goes by Ric, had made no secret in private conversations over the last three years that he wanted to serve as Trump’s next secretary of State. He told people in Trump’s orbit that it was secretary of State “or bust,” as one person close to the president-elect said.

Grenell, Trump’s former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence — who Trump had been known to call his “wild man,” according to a former administration official — had been one the president-elect’s most loyal foot soldiers throughout the 2024 campaign.

But Trump ultimately chose Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for the coveted State job, rewarding one of his top vice presidential contenders, though outwardly less MAGA-aligned, with a key seat in his cabinet and leaving Grenell without his preferred post.

Grenell was offered other posts in Trump’s administration, including director of National Intelligence, which he turned down, according to two people familiar with the conversations. Most recently, he has been vocal about helping his friend, Kash Patel, land as FBI Director. And multiple people with knowledge of the transition did not rule out the possibility Grenell will still get some kind of important role.

There is no evidence directly linking the influencer campaign to Grenell. In response to a request for comment, Grenell referred to the POLITICO reporter making the inquiry as an “unserious gossip reporter,” and said “none of this is true.”

Grenell had put in the work to demonstrate his loyalty to Trump, championing the president-elect’s policies in public and private, traveling the country to campaign for him and raising campaign cash. He is close with Melania Trump, whose only public political activities this year were with the conservative LGBT group Log Cabin Republicans, with which Grenell is affiliated. Some senators close to the president-elect, like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), praised Grenell as a standout option for secretary of State, and Grenell even appeared alongside Trump during a meeting with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in September.

At Trump’s final rally of the election — a midnight event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Grenell also spoke — Trump praised Grenell as “a man who’s very special, with a great talent.”

“I’ll never forget, when I took him out (of the ambassador role), the happiest person in the world was Angela Merkel,” Trump said of the former German chancellor. “When Ric Grenell was taken out, this was the best day in Angela’s life. He was not your typical ambassador.”

Trump said of German officials that “they really loved him,” but Grenell was “wise to what they were doing.”

In addition to ambassador to Germany, Trump had entrusted Grenell with another top diplomatic role during his time in the White House as a special envoy for Serbia-Kosovo relations. At the end of Trump’s term with Grenell’s diplomatic push, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to restore flights between their capitals in a step toward normalization.

In the period after, Grenell continued to meet with foreign leaders to promote Trump and his foreign policy as a kind of shadow secretary of State.

But other factors weighed against him.

If Grenell was tapped for a Senate-confirmed role, his business dealings in foreign countries — among them plans to build a $500 million hotel project with Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner in Belgrade — would have been scrutinized.

The former Trump official’s bid for the top State job also ruffled feathers, and his open lobbying for the position had grated on people in Trump’s orbit. There were concerns that his prickly personality earned him a reputation among people close to Trump for being difficult and less than diplomatic.

“People assume the president wants a big personality who is pushing the envelope. That’s not always the case. I think there were a lot of questions about whether Ric was diplomatic enough to be secretary of state,” said a person familiar with the transition.

The person added, “Ric was offered several positions that he turned down, it’s not like he was shut out.”After it was leaked that Rubio was Trump’s pick for State, there was an outpouring of support for Grenell from top MAGA voices, who cast doubt that any decision had been made. When one person urged fellow supporters not to give up the fight because a decision wasn’t final, Grenell responded, “BS. Stop grifting. Not true.”

Allies of Grenell who advocated for him at all costs may not have helped his cause, either.

Rick Loughery, the former chair of the political youth association Young Republicans, who is an associate of Grenell, had contacted conservative influencers after the election offering payments in exchange for positive posts about Grenell on X and Instagram.

The contract outlined that the influencers must also “engage in their comment section, quote tweet, share, add to stories and reply in relevant threads and posts.” The money, which was to be paid by Magnify Media Partners LLC, a political consulting firm run by Taylor Strand, would be issued in several installments between November and January, the contract stated.

Strand said in an email that the initiative in question was “a project about defending Trump loyalists against mainstream media attacks,” but that “this project never moved forward, and Ric Grenell nor any other MAGA leaders were involved.”

She did not respond to a follow-up question about influencers being asked to post positively about Grenell’s bid for secretary of State. Neither Loughery nor the influencer for whom the contract was created commented for the story. A spokesperson for the Trump transition did not comment.

It’s not inconceivable that Grenell could eventually secure his dream job of secretary of State, should Rubio leave the post over the next four years, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.

“If he’s not doing something or accepting something, it’s because he decided not to,” said one ally of Grenell, speaking on condition of anonymity, explaining that he still was being given options to work for Trump, but noting Grenell’s proclivity to “play the long game” and wait for a job he really wants.

The round of appointments that has played out over the past several weeks showcased how some people have been more successful than others at maneuvering Trump world and finding a landing place. Trump made loyalty a key criteria when picking his cabinet, and was turned off by any whiff of inconstancy, like rumors of presidential ambitions, or past criticisms of his behavior. And he was irritated to learn if anyone felt entitled to a role, presumed it was theirs, or tried to buy his favor, according to multiple advisers.

Still, Trump has rewarded strategic persistence from contenders for top-level positions who got passed over for their first choice of position. Matt Whitaker, Trump’s former acting attorney general who was vying for the top Department of Justice job, ultimately wasn’t tapped for attorney general. But after Trump chose Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general — who later withdrew from consideration and was replaced by Pam Bondi — Whitaker worked to remain in contention for other high-level jobs, and was named U.S. ambassador to NATO.

And Patel, a top Trump ally who was tapped in recent days for FBI director, fought for the job even after it appeared his chances were dim, and after some Trump advisers expressed concern about his likelihood of being confirmed by the Senate.

“I think there is a need and a desire to keep these people close,” said a person with knowledge of Grenell’s situation, referencing others like Trump’s former trade representative Robert Lighthizer, who also hasn’t landed an administration job. “They are loyalists who have been really successful at getting Trump elected. Where does Trump park these people?”