Trump expands secretary of state search to include four more names

President-elect Donald Trump's transition team has reportedly expanded the list of names being considered for secretary of state.

The additional contenders for the post top diplomat are John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush; Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor and U.S. ambassador to China under President Barack Obama; Rex Tillerson, president and CEO of Exxon Mobil; and West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, the New York Times reported.

Bolton met with Trump in New York City on Friday, and Tillerson is reportedly slated to sit down with the president-elect Tuesday. Huntsman appeared on "Fox and Friends" on Saturday, where he defended Trump's controversial call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, saying it "should be expected."

Manchin, a moderate Democrat from a red state, was also rumored to be among those Trump is considering for energy secretary. Manchin last week told Politico he had no scheduled meetings with Trump but seemed open to the possibility of serving in Trump's Cabinet.

“If I can do anything that would help my state of West Virginia and my country, I would be happy to talk to anybody. Other than that, I haven’t heard anything. I have nothing scheduled," Manchin said.

The men join four other candidates said to be in serious consideration for secretary of state — former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus.