Donald Trump explains why he zeroed in on Exxon Mobil CEO as potential secretary of state nominee

President-elect Donald Trump explained in his interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" why choosing a business executive to be his secretary of state is a wise decision.

All indications point to Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson being named secretary of state, although the Trump transition team has not yet officially announced the decision. NBC News reported Saturday, citing Trump advisers, that Tillerson was Trump's choice.

And during Trump's interview with Wallace, which aired Sunday morning, Trump explained his thought process behind potentially choosing Tillerson.

"He’s much more than a business executive, he’s a world-class player," Trump explained. "He's in charge of, I guess, the largest company in the world. He's in charge of an oil company that's pretty much double the size of his next nearest competitor. It's a company that's been unbelievably managed."

"To me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players, and he knows them well,” he added, referring to the Russians. “He does massive deals in Russia, he does massive deals for the company — not for himself, but for the company."

Many have expressed concern over the potential of a Tillerson pick, citing his very close ties with Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) expressed his concern with Tillerson Saturday during an interview with Fox News. And if McCain and a handful of other Republican senators vote against Tillerson, his nomination would be blocked and Trump would have to look elsewhere for a secretary of state.

Still, Tillerson isn't the official nominee — yet. But if he is, he beat out other leading candidates for the position like Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.

Watch Trump's comments below: