Tensions escalate after Tillerson calls Trump 'moron'
Story highlights
- Tillerson insisted he enjoys a close relationship with Trump
- He would not directly deny that he'd called Trump a 'moron'
Washington (CNN)Discord
between President Donald Trump and his chief diplomat is at an all-time
high, spilling into public view in recent days, peaking with a NBC News report Wednesday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Trump a "moron" in a Pentagon meeting.
Trump
was aware before Wednesday's report that Tillerson had referred to him
as a "moron" at the Pentagon this summer, a source familiar with the
conversation told CNN, but it's unclear whether Trump discussed the
remark with Tillerson. Trump was not present at the Pentagon meeting. A
White House source also confirmed to CNN that Trump knew about the
insult prior to Wednesday.
During
a hastily arranged statement Wednesday morning, Tillerson insisted he
enjoys a close relationship with Trump and called him "smart." But he
would not directly deny that he'd called Trump a "moron."
"I'm
not going to deal with petty stuff like that," Tillerson said from the
State Department Treaty Room. "I'm just not going to be part of this
effort to divide this administration."
Though
Tillerson didn't deny calling Trump a moron, Trump tweeted: "The
@NBCNews story has just been totally refuted by Sec. Tillerson and @VP
Pence. It is #FakeNews. They should issue an apology to AMERICA!"
Sources
say Vice President Mike Pence has become a bit of a sounding board for
Tillerson, and the two men often have lunch together. After the "moron"
remark, an aide says Pence advised Tillerson on "setting expectations"
and counseled him on how to work with the administration toward the
President's goals.
Pence's spokesman denied Pence discussing with Tillerson the chief diplomat's potential resignation.
"At
no time did he and the secretary ever discuss the prospect of the
secretary's resignation from the administration. Any reporting to the
contrary is categorically false," said Jarrod Agen, Pence's spokesman.
A
senior White House adviser said there is "certainly some friction there
to say the least" between Tillerson and the White House but pointed
fingers at West Wing staff rather than directly at the President. This
person said Tillerson is "obviously growing frustrated because of the
unpredictable nature of his job."
But
Trump isn't the only person in the West Wing who Tillerson has been at
odds with. He became so "irate" with national security adviser H.R.
McMaster earlier this year on a conference call that Defense Secretary
James Mattis had to step in, an administration official directly
familiar with the incident says.
"Tillerson
and McMaster do not do well together," said the official, who left the
administration several weeks ago in an unrelated matter.
This
person, who is directly familiar with other multiple interactions
involving Tillerson, declined to be identified because of the
sensitivity of the matter.
During
that conference call, Tillerson, Mattis and McMaster were discussing the
way ahead on the proposed strategy for fighting the war in Afghanistan.
McMaster was pressing for a faster decision-making process from the
Pentagon and State Department. As the official described it, Tillerson
finally became so irritated with the White House pressure, he said they
could move ahead without him. It is not clear if that was a threat to
resign.
"Voices were raised" during
that call, the official said. Mattis then stepped in and reminded
McMaster that the State Department and Pentagon did not have a
significant number of Senate-confirmed senior staff officials who could
quickly work these problems. The official said McMaster then realized
"he overstepped" and backed off.
Haley: 'Tillerson is not going anywhere' 00:52
But
the official also describes a series of meetings and interactions in
which Tillerson has become repeatedly irritated. The official said
Mattis has tried to "mentor" Tillerson and treates him "with the respect
of a peer, with talent, but maybe a guy without the political skills."
The
official described private meetings in which Tillerson has become "a
little more hotheaded" than he appears in public, using salty language, a
trait that Mattis shares.
Though
Tillerson's departure seems imminent, the friction between the President
and his top diplomat may not have reached its boiling point yet. A
person close to Tillerson said it has always been his plan to stay on at
the State Department through the first year of the Trump administration
but acknowledged again Wednesday that his future is "up to the
President."
Trump recently seemed to undercut Tillerson when he said he was wasting his time attempting new dialogue with North Korea.
"I
told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful secretary of state, that he is
wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," Trump
wrote on Twitter. "Save your energy Rex. we'll do what has to be done!"
Despite
this, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday that Trump
still had confidence in Tillerson, despite their different messages on
North Korea.
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