The rumors became fact this morning when Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil CEO, was named as Donald Trump’s official choice to be the next Secretary of State.

I have chosen one of the truly great business leaders of the world, Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, to be Secretary of State.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2016

It's officially official, Trump team announces he wants Exxon exec Tillerson as his secretary of state pic.twitter.com/I40cC0ZmIY

— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) December 13, 2016

But short of knowing that he’s the CEO of Exxon Mobil, what else do we actually know about him?

He was awarded the Order of Friendship from Vladimir Putin in 2013, which on the surface, seems fishy.

Being a "friend of Vladimir" is not an attribute I am hoping for from a #SecretaryOfState – MR

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 11, 2016

Until you actually look at the list of people who have received it, and see that it’s more a “thanks for being nice to Russia” award. It’s not quite on the level of the Congressional Medal of Freedom (though after Obama’s last run of honorees, it might be), but it’s the same idea. It’s not the equivalent of getting one half of a “Best Friends Forever” necklace from Vladimir Putin. Yes, there is going to be a lot of explaining to do…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCqLc5N_2NA
… but the Trump team is planning on pushing back against the Russian narrative.

Trump team planning big PR push to intro Tillerson & push back on Putin narrative. Statements from GOP statesmen rolling out tomorrow /6

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 13, 2016

Tillerson is going to have to explain the difference between being polite and amiable for business purposes, what an actual friendship would look like. It’s not like Tillerson and Putin are taking vacations together. (Of course, to lifetime elected officials, who count money via lobbyists as signs of friendship, this might be difficult to understand.)

Tillerson, interestingly, was not known by Trump before this process. He got on the short list via some big names recommending him.

Rex Tillerson was recommended by Bob Gates and Condi Rice, and is a longtime friend of James Baker. Hardly the pedigree of a Putin stooge.

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) December 12, 2016

Those names got him the first interview, and it seems that Trump went on from there.

Mr. Tillerson emerged as a contender on the strong recommendations of James A. Baker III, the secretary of state under President George Bush, and Robert M. Gates, the former defense secretary, according to a person briefed on the process.

Mr. Kushner and Mr. Trump’s chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, argued strongly for Mr. Tillerson, and the president-elect was intrigued.

Mr. Trump met with Mr. Tillerson for more than two hours on Saturday at Trump Tower in Manhattan. To his aides, Mr. Trump described Mr. Tillerson as in a different “league” than his other options.

Other Tillerson boosters, in addition to Gates & Rice: Stephen Hadley, Jim Baker & Dick Cheney. Full court press planned for confirmation /4

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 13, 2016

Those are some pretty strong names in Tillerson’s court, and it lends a lot of weight to his nomination.

And it seems Trump just connected with Tillerson.

Some Tillerson-Trump tic toc… Bob Gates first recommended Tillerson at Trump Tower meeting. Trump intrigued and chewed over it /1

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 13, 2016

Trump didn't know Tillerson but invited him in for a meeting. They hit it off. Two global dealmakers. Saw similarities in each other /2

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 13, 2016

The word that sticks out to me in the press release is “dealmaker.” That is Trump’s love language talking right there. He is all about the deal. If he thinks that Tillerson can deal with Putin and the rest of the world because he’s learned how to do so in business relations, and comes with a big list of well-known names recommending him, then I’m not surprised that he’s being offered the position.

And… the Clintons liked him.

In hacked memo, the Clintons privately praised Tillerson's education advocacy, considered him for @ClintonGlobal. https://t.co/sqGK2gC4vr pic.twitter.com/RkGHOQ7LgH

— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) December 13, 2016

Ouch. I think the narrative just took a right hook to the chin.

We’ve seen Hillary Clinton’s way of dealing with Russia.

We’ve seen John Kerry’s method of dealing with… well, everything.

At this point, could Tillerson be anything but an improvement?

He is a political neophyte, and the confirmation process is guaranteed to be a blistering process. If Tillerson is everything that Condi Rice, James Baker, and Bob Gates says he is, then we’ll see it on full display during that confirmation hearing. And then we the people can get a better sense of the man who just got the job as the nation’s top diplomat.