President-elect Donald Trump met with Gov. Mary Fallin on Monday to discuss a possible cabinet post.
Updated 11:23 a.m.
Fallin emerged from Trump's office in Midtown Manhattan on Monday, saying she and the president-elect discussed his plan and agenda for the country and how she might be able to help.
"No, I was not offered a position. It was just an initial meeting to discuss a wide range of topics," Fallin told reporters gathered in the lobby of Trump Tower. The governor was accompanied by her husband Wade Christensen.
Fallin's spokesman Michael McNutt told The Oklahoman's Chris Casteel representatives from the Department of the Interior were present during the conversation. The agency includes the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Geological Survey:
“The governor is willing to do what she can to support the Trump administration lead America on the path to greatness. As the governor has said before, Donald Trump will work to make sure America feels safe again, create jobs, restore a sense of unity and optimism, and put constitutionalists on the U.S. Supreme Court.” Fallin also has experience in the areas overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation. She did not say Monday whether that was discussed.
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Trump’s top aide Kellyanne Conway told Fox News Fallin is being considered to head the Department of the Interior. The agency oversees most federal land and natural resources, and programs that relate to Native Americans.
Conway warned against drawing any conclusions from Trump’s meeting, saying not everyone who consults with the president-elect or meets with him will be in the Cabinet. Fallin’s name had been floated earlier this year as a possible vice presidential candidate. She spoke during the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Oklahoma City energy billionaire Harold Hamm is also reportedly under consideration for Secretary of Energy. As StateImpact Oklahoma has reported, the Continental Resources CEO served as a key energy advisor to Trump during the campaign and also delivered an address during the RNC.
Shannon Sits Down With Trump, Top Staffers
Former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon was one of more than a dozen people Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence met with over the weekend at the billionaire’s golf club and resort in New Jersey.
An email from the presidential transition team says the three discussed transportation, infrastructure, and issues related to Western land usage. Shannon said Monday soon-to-be White House Chief-of-Staff Reince Priebus and top adviser Steve Bannon were present when he met with Trump.
“I got to talk about one of my passion issues, how we break the effects of generational poverty,” Shannon told Fox News on Monday. “How do we begin to allow kids who are trapped in failing schools to have a lot more choice about where they go?”
Had a great time on @foxandfriends discussing my mtg w @realDonaldTrump on dreaming big for America. Check out video https://t.co/6MxItrYTwC
— T.W. Shannon (@TWShannon) November 21, 2016
As both an African-American and an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation, Shannon addressed concerns Trump hasn’t done enough to reach out to minorities before or after the election.
“Raise your hand if you’re a conservative and you haven’t been called a racist,” Shannon said.
.@TWShannon on his meeting with President-elect Trump: I'm really optimistic for my children to grow up in an America that's expected to win pic.twitter.com/Pj6LSf68EB
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) November 21, 2016
Shannon also said he and the new administration talked about what he described as “forgotten Americans.”
“At the end of every policy decision, there are men and women – single mothers – who are trying to make ends meet,” Shannon said.
Shannon didn’t offer specifics about a possible role in the Trump administration, simply saying he would serve where the president asks.
The Republican from Lawton stepped down from the Speaker’s post after a little more than a year on the job, and just one full legislative session. He unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2014, losing in the primary to then-U.S. Rep. James Lankford. Since then, he’s served as a consultant and public speaker based in Tulsa.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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