DIPLOMATIC

Report: Tillerson Nearly Resigned, Called Trump a ‘Moron’

Allegedly railed against president in front of Cabinet members after July 20 meeting.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has had open disputes with President Trump, in one case describing him as a “moron” in front of a group of officials after a July 20 meeting at the Pentagon, NBC News reports. The incident was witnessed by Trump’s security team and Cabinet officials, in addition to at least three others who reported it to NBC News. Tillerson nearly resigned this past summer because of his tensions with the president, according to senior administration officials, in particular after the real-estate magnate’s polarizing speech to the Boy Scouts of America in July. After an intervention by Vice President Mike Pence, the tensions calmed down and the two have made progress, NBC News reports.