Former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent, who is considered a potential pick for President-elect Donald Trump's defense secretary, said Wednesday that he is "very interested" in playing a role in the incoming administration.
At a defense forum in the nation's capital, Talent expressed his admiration for a speech Trump delivered earlier this year about boosting defense spending and rebuilding the U.S. military. He noted that he has had discussions with the president-elect's transition team.
"I really loved the president-elect's defense speech when I read it," Talent told a crowd Wednesday morning at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., in response to questions from reporters. "I loved the tone, I loved the issues he took on. I'm going to support that whether inside or outside the government."
"I would be very interested in doing something inside a government," Talent revealed. "I have had some discussions with the transition. But I also know enough about cabinet building, having watched it in a number of instances. He has to pick the people that fit, that he feels the most comfortable with and that also fit the overall pattern. They are working their way through that and making a lot of progress."
Talent made the comments while participating in a discussion with Rep. Mac Thornberry (R., Texas) on the U.S. military's readiness challenges at a forum hosted by the Foreign Policy Initiative. Talent, now a senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, said he has been pleased with Trump's appointments so far.
Talent has been mentioned repeatedly as a possible defense secretary under the Trump administration. While speculation has risen around retired Gen. James Mattis as Trump's top choice to lead the Pentagon, the Washington Post reported last week that Talent remains a favorite among Trump team members who believe a civilian should be chosen for the cabinet post.
Talent repeatedly praised Trump's "outstanding defense speech" on Wednesday, compliments that were echoed by Thornberry, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee.
"I think his focus on rebuilding the military is exactly right," Thornberry told the crowd. "Numbers do matter. Part of the reason we are challenged right now is we don't have enough aircraft and so the ones we have we are flying more and more hours."
"Like with aircraft, we can wear out our people as well," the lawmaker added.
This week, Trump's transition team announced several appointments, including former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin for treasury secretary and Rep. Tom Price (R., Ga.) for secretary of Health and Human Services. It is unclear when the transition team will announce the president-elect's choice for defense secretary.