US President Donald Trump is looking for a candidate for the post of Secretary of State if Mike Pompeo decides to leave his post to participate in the Senate election from Kansas, The Washington Post reported.

Rumors that Pompeo may run for Senate next year have been in Washington for a long time. Pompeo previously denied this. However, according to The Washington Post, they say that he has not made a final decision on this issue, but he still has time: the registration of candidates will be completed only in June next year.Trump, in turn, said that Pompeo 'likes what he does' as Secretary of State, but if there is a risk that the Republicans could lose the Kansas Senator in the 2020 elections, then Pompeo could run for office and 'win with a huge margin.'

According to the newspaper, this uncertainty forced a number of Washington officials to begin to look closely at the Secretary of State’s chair, and Trump, not knowing what decision Pompeo ultimately made, began to sort out the names of potential candidates for the post of head of the Department of State in discussions with lawmakers and other officials.

"The person most often mentioned to succeed Pompeo is national security adviser Robert O’Brien. Trump really likes O’Brien, several officials told me, and has given him increased diplomatic responsibilities since he became the president’s fourth national security adviser in September. O’Brien stood in for Trump at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Thailand in October. He accompanied Vice President Pence and Pompeo to Turkey to negotiate a Syria cease-fire," the source noted. "The other main contender at this point is Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin."

According to the source, "newly minted Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun would become acting secretary of state, at least for a while, if Pompeo departs." 

Trump has also asked people what they think about US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell becoming secretary of state.