Talent, a senior adviser to Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign, served as a member of Romney's 2012 Economic Policy Team during the 2012 Presidential Election. Talent is a distinguished Fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a member of the Defense Policy Board. He is also a co-chairman at Mercury, a Washington D.C. lobbying firm. Following Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential election, Talent was rumored to be on the short list for United States Secretary of Defense, a position ultimately offered to James Mattis.