REX-N-EFFECT

Rex Tillerson Will Neither Quit Nor Deny He Called Trump a ‘Moron’

Reportedly nearly resigned this summer because of tensions with the president.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday reaffirmed his support for President Trump in a public statement from the Treaty Room of the U.S. Department of State. “My commitment to the success of our president and our country is as strong as it was the day I accepted his offer to serve as secretary of state,” he said. “President Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda has given voice to millions who felt completely abandoned by the political status quo and who felt their interests came second to those of other countries.” Tillerson reportedly nearly quit his post last summer after the real-estate magnate’s polarizing speech to the Boy Scouts of America in July, calling the president a “moron”; Vice President Mike Pence allegedly intervened. “While I’m new to Washington, I have learned that there are some who try to sew dissension to advance their own agenda by tearing others apart, in an effort to undermine President Trump's own agenda,” Tillerson said of the reports. And regarding the claim that he called the president a “moron,” Tillerson said: “I’m not going to deal with petty stuff like that.” Following the presser, MSNBC reporter Stephanie Ruhle clarified: “My source didn’t just say he called him a moron. He said he called him an f-ing moron.”