US President-elect Donald Trump has recently been in talks with various top armymen to be part of his Defense Department. The newest possible addition could be retired Marine Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis as defense secretary.
Trump on Friday had announced three people -- retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as national security adviser, Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo for CIA chief and Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general -- he picked for the national security team.
He also met his former rival 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney to discuss foreign affairs, which led to speculations that Romney could be offered the secretary of state position.
According to USA Today, in April 2016, Republicans unhappy with Donald Trump's progress during the election campaign had considered posing Mattis as a third-party candidate so that Trump doesn't win enough votes sending the US elections to the House of Representatives for the final decision.
Mattis has an impressive resume with 44 years of service in the Marines. He had led a task force in 2001 to Afghanistan and a Marine unit during the 2003 Iraq invasion. He also led the Marines in the 2004 Battle of Fallujah in Iraq. He was the commander of a NATO command, Allied Command Transformation, in Virginia. He retired as a four-star general.
He is also known as "Mad Dog" and "Chaos" due to his blunt statements.
Some of his statements that are known as Mattisms:
"I come in peace. I didn't bring artillery. But I'm pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I'll kill you all."
"When Gen. Abrial arrived to relieve me as the supreme commander, only don't ask, don't tell kept me from hugging and kissing him."
"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
Trump did not confirm if he offered the job to Mattis but called him a "great man" when the two posed for the camera.
