Pres.-elect Trump: "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our Secretary of Defense" https://t.co/Mzxkm9GuYA https://t.co/lYg8MDjmmM
— ABC News (@ABC) December 2, 2016

Trump met with Mattis nearly two weeks ago at the president-elect’s golf course in Bedminster, N.J., while vetting several potential Cabinet picks. Afterward, Trump offered praise of the retired general, leading many to consider him the leading candidate for the Defense position.
Trump also sang Mattis’s praises in an interview with The New York Times last week, saying he was swayed by the Marine’s argument against torturing terror suspects.
“He said, ‘I’ve always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture,'" Trump said of their meeting. "And I was very impressed by that answer. I was surprised, because he’s known as being like the toughest guy.”