U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested he may not continue in his role beyond the current administration, regardless of November’s presidential election outcome.
Blinken, 62, father of two young children, indicated his desire to spend more time with his family next year during a press conference in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
“As for my future, my sole focus at this moment is on the reckoning of this administration in January,” Blinken told reporters. “After spending some time with my children during the last break, I can say that I look forward to having more time with them.”
The Secretary of State has maintained a gruelling schedule over the past year, making nine trips to the Middle East following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
It is unusual for a Secretary of State to remain in office following elections, even when an incumbent president is re-elected. The last such instance was George Shultz, who served under Republican President Ronald Reagan for six years in the 1980s.
Blinken’s comments come amidst significant changes in the U.S. political landscape.
President Joe Biden, 81, withdrew from the presidential race in July, with Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee for the November elections. Blinken, a close associate of Biden, does not seem to share an equally strong relationship with Kamala Harris.
(information from protothema.gr)
