Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Sunday again did not deny he called President Trump a “moron” in a Pentagon meeting this summer.
Tillerson, in a testy exchange with CNN’s Jake Tapper, refused to “dignify the question” of whether he called Trump a moron.
“I’m not going to deal with that kind of petty stuff,” Tillerson said. “I mean, this is a town that seems to relish gossip, rumor, innuendo and they feed on it. They feed on one another in a very destructive way. I don’t deal that way, I don’t work that way and I’m not going to dignify the question.”
Tapper pressed Tillerson further, and the secretary of state accused the CNN host of making a “game” out of the reported tension with Trump.
“These are the destructive games of this town,” Tillerson said. “They’re not helpful to anyone. So, my position on it is, I’m not playing. I’m not playing. You want to make a game out of it, I’m not playing. I’m not dignifying the question with an answer. I’m a little surprised you want to spend so much time on it when there are so many important issues around the world to deal with.”
The secretary of state earlier this month held a press conference to dispute an NBC News report that he called Trump a moron and had to be talked out of resigning.
“I’m not going to deal with petty stuff like that,” Tillerson said in a press briefing Oct. 4 from the State Department Treaty Room. “I’m just not going to be part of this effort to divide this administration.”
On Sunday, Tillerson assured he maintains a constructive working relationship with Trump, despite reports the secretary of state has considered leaving his post.
“I don’t think that’s any doubt that anyone sees him as someone other than the most unique president we’ve certainly ever seen in modern history, that we have recorded history of,” Tillerson said.
“But again, I would say, I am fully committed to his objectives. I agree with his objectives. I agree with what he’s trying to do. How he wants to use his own skills tactically to push things toward change, I’m there to help him achieve those.”
