extensive work overseas has caught the attention and gained the respect of trump. >> in his case he is more than a business executive. he is a world-class player. to me, a great advantage is he knows many of the mayeplayers a knows them well. >> under tillerson's leadership, the oil softened its stand on climate change, publicly acknowledging its existence and risks. >> i'm not disputing that increasing co2 emission unless the atmosphere will have an impact. it will have a warming impact. how large it is what is hard for anyone to predict. >> reporter: tillerson, who is 64, is expected to retire as ceo of exxon mobil when he turns 65 in march. the mandatory retirement age at the company. rachel crane, cnn, new york. >> let's chat about this with cnn senior law enforcement analyst tom fuentes and former