“I think Mike Pompeo will be a truly great Secretary of State. I have total confidence in him,” according to the President.
Furthermore, Trump said Tillerson is a “good man” and they “got along quite well. However, he emphasized that they “disagreed on things” such as the Iran deal. “We we’re not really thinking the same,” he said.
“I actually get along well with Rex but really it was a different mindset. It was a different thinking,” said Trump.
Trump did not speak with Tillerson about his decision
Moreover, the President told reporters that he did not spoke with Tillerson about his decision to fire him. He said, “Honestly, I made the decision by myself.”
Separately, the State Department released a statement indicating that Tillerson did not speak directly with the President about the issue.
Steve Goldstein, the agency’s Undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, said Tillerson is “unaware of the reason” for his firing. He added that Tillerson “is grateful for the opportunity to serve and still believes that public service is a noble calling.”
