Tillerson Says He 'Never Considered Leaving This Post'
October 04 2017 - 1:28PM
Dow Jones News
By Felicia Schwartz
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday he
has not contemplated resigning his job and praised President Donald
Trump's foreign policy, calling Mr. Trump "smart."
"I have never considered leaving this post," Mr. Tillerson
said.
Mr. Tillerson spoke in the State Department's Treaty Room to
deny longstanding rumors about his possible resignation after a
report Wednesday morning that he referred to Mr. Trump as a "moron"
and had to be talked out of quitting by Vice President Mike Pence
and others.
Mr. Tillerson said that he supports Mr. Trump's "America first"
approach to foreign policy and extolled "what we have
accomplished... as a team." He said that suggestions to the
contrary were an attempt to divide administration officials.
A former Exxon Corp. chief executive who had never served in
government before assuming his current job, Mr. Tillerson has had
public differences with Mr. Trump over key national security
issues, including the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and the
administration's talks with North Korea.
Despite conflicting public statements on those issues, White
House and State Department officials have insisted there have been
no ruptures over policy.
Mr. Tillerson in his appearance Wednesday declined to
specifically address an NBC report that he referred to Mr. Trump as
a moron, describing such talk as "petty nonsense."
Mr. Trump in a Twitter message afterward said: "The @NBCNews
story has just been totally refuted by Sec. Tillerson and @VP
Pence. It is #FakeNews. They should issue an apology to
AMERICA!"
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, asked by
reporters in Las Vegas whether Mr. Trump has confidence in Mr.
Tillerson, said: "As we've said many times before, if the president
doesn't have confidence in somebody, they will no longer be in
their position."
Mr. Tillerson said he did not consult with Mr. Trump before the
abruptly scheduled news conference, but devoted a significant
portion of his remarks to praising the president and his
agenda.
"Let me tell you what I've learned about this president, whom I
did not know before taking this office," Mr. Tillerson said. "He
loves this country. He puts Americans and America first. He's
smart, he demands results wherever he goes and he holds those
around him accountable for whether they've done the job he's asked
them to do."
He praised Mr. Trump's foreign-policy approach, even though Mr.
Tillerson has often disagreed with it publicly and privately, such
as in Mr. Trump's decision to leave the Paris climate accord.
"His agenda has given voice to millions who completely felt
abandoned by the political status quo and who felt their interests
came second to those of other countries," he said. "President
Trump's foreign-policy goals break the mold of what people
traditionally think is achievable on behalf of our country."
He singled out Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, United Nations
Ambassador Nikki Haley and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis for
particular praise.
Mr. Tillerson and Ms. Haley also have been at odds in recent
months, as Ms. Haley frequently doesn't consult with Mr. Tillerson
before making publicly policy statements, officials have said.
"While I'm new to Washington, I have learned there are some who
try to sow dissension to advance their own agenda by tearing others
apart in an effort to undermine president Trump's own agenda," Mr.
Tillerson said. "I'm just not going to be part of this effort to
divide this administration."
Write to Felicia Schwartz at Felicia.Schwartz@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 04, 2017 13:13 ET (17:13 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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