Rex Tillerson’s Job on Life Support, According to Reports

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Sec. of State Rex Tillerson

These days the U.S. State Department, the nexus of American foreign policy, appears increasingly isolated and unable to do its job. Secretary Rex Tillerson’s relationship with President Trump isn’t fairing much better, either.

Twitter Diplomacy

Rex Tillerson has been frequently and publicly superseded by the White House since taking the job. President Trump has shown no signs of easing up on his Twitter use, and will not shy away from straying into foreign affairs with it. Regarding North Korea’s looming nuclear threat, Trump undercut Tillerson by tweeting that he “wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man.” “Save your energy Rex,” Trump recommended.

According to a CNN Trump administration source, Tillerson’s days are numbered. “I would say the ice continues to thin,” CNN reports. “The question is when does it actually break.”

“Moron”

The public discord between Trump and Tillerson came to a head last week. Numerous outlets reported that the Secretary called Trump a “moron.” The insulting remark came on the heals of a July 20th meeting at the Pentagon between top national security and administration officials.

Roots of the Conflict

The New York Times Magazine recently published an expose that highlights the origins of the rift between the two men. Tillerson spoke to the Times himself, citing personality differences among the reasons they don’t see eye-to-eye.