Rudy Giuliani is no longer being considered for the position of secretary of state, according to a statement from Donald Trump's administration team.
The former New York City mayor "removed his name" from the list on Friday evening.
"Rudy Giuliani is an extraordinarily talented and patriotic American," Trump said in the statement. "I will always be appreciative of his 24/7 dedication to our campaign after I won the primaries and for his extremely wise counsel. He is and continues to be a close personal friend, and as appropriate, I will call upon him for advice and can see an important place for him in the administration at a later date."
The former mayor will continue to work in his capacity as vice-chairman of the presidential transition team.
His reasons for pulling out of the race are not known, but Mr Giuliani had vocal critics at Capitol Hill.
"I think he should not appoint somebody to be in charge of his foreign policy that disagrees with him," Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said on Nov. 18, referencing Trump and Giuliani's differing positions on the Iraq War, the Hill reported. Paul's seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee gives him political influence on such Senate approvals.
ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson is reportedly still in the running.
