Tillerson Out as Secretary of State

Kieran Hogan, World and Politics Editor
March 22, 2018

President Donald Trump fired his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, ending a 14 month run of controversial policies.

Trump credited the decision to their differing stances on several topics, saying, “We were not really thinking the same,” according to the New York Times.

“Really, it was a different mind-set, a different thinking,” said Trump.

These topics included the Saudi Arabia-Qatar dispute and Russian cyber aggression, where their opinions were rarely similar.

Trump tweeted the same day that he intended to nominate Mike Pompeo, CIA Director, as Tillerson’s replacement.

The Hill reported a White House aid said, Pompeo won’t face enough opposition from Congress to keep him from the nomination.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, March 13, 2018. Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday and said he would nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him, in a major staff reshuffle just as Trump dives into high-stakes talks with North Korea. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)