“We spent a lot of time in the conversation talking about how Putin seized every opportunity to push what he wanted. There was a discrepancy in preparation, and it created an unequal footing.
Tensions Between Trump and Tillerson
Prior to Tillerson’s aforementioned testimony, he and the president maintained a strained relationship. The former secretary of state once professed that he and President Trump shared different “value systems.”
Furthermore, reports during Tillerson’s time in the Trump administration claimed that Tillerson once branded the president as a “moron.” However, Tillerson denied those reports during that time.
Talks about the Trump-Putin Relationship
The relationship between President Trump and Putin serves as a commonly discussed subject amongst the former’s critics. Democrats and others who oppose the president regularly claim that Putin outclasses Trump in various discussions and negotiations. During one of the 2016 presidential debates, Hillary Clinton infamously declared that Trump is a “puppet” for Vladimir Putin. Then-candidate Trump promptly fired back with a swift denial.
