Richard Grenell Says Trump Told Him Being First Out Gay Cabinet Member Was 'Big Deal'

In an Instagram post on Monday, Richard Grenell said that President Donald Trump told him being first out gay cabinet member was a “big deal.”

Grenell, 53, stepped down as U.S. ambassador to Germany on Monday. He became the first openly gay person to hold a cabinet position when Trump named him acting director of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in February. He held the positions concurrently. The U.S. Senate last month confirmed Representative John Ratcliffe, a Republican from Texas, to the DNI post.

“Today I officially resigned from the State Department,” Grenell said in the post. “And President Trump presented me with a going away gift – my Cabinet Chair. ‘Acting’ Cabinet Secretaries do not get chairs but President Trump wanted me to have mine because, as he said, ‘You are the First Openly Gay Cabinet Secretary and it’s a big deal.’”

During his brief stint as the nation's top spy chief, Grenell declassified information about Obama administration officials who were behind the “unmasking” of Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

During an interview with Sinclair Broadcasting, Trump described Grenell as a “superstar.” “What Richard Grenell has done for this country is incredible,” Trump said, a possible reference to the Flynn “unmasking” and what Trump has called “Obamagate.”