Trump Ousts Tillerson and Why This Needed to Happen
While Rex Tillerson is an accomplished CEO, he wasn’t a good fit for President Trump.
And if the news of North Korea didn’t tip off most as to the fate of Tillerson, it certainly tipped me off.
Although President Trump likes to set the course on the direction of the country in all areas, he expects his team to back his play. Tillerson simply wasn’t used to playing second fiddle.
The no-nonsense approach of President Trump to foreign policy simply didn’t play well with Rex Tillerson’s personality. Tillerson doesn’t confront, and Trump does.
Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018
When President Trump began working with China, he simultaneously addressed North Korea. The American economy is President Trump’s weapon, and he expected his Secretary of State to understand how to leverage this.
Tillerson failed. Instead Trump himself was forced to take the lead. He reluctantly did so.
But despite what people may think of President Trump, he prefers to work in an advisory role. He provides direction, then hires people who execute.
Back to the tipoff.
When Kim Jong Un tweeted about his button, he actually got Rex Tillerson fired. Tillerson was supposed to fire back at Kim, not President Trump. Thus, in that moment Kim showed that he had no respect for Tillerson.
In quintessential fashion, Trump fired back at Kim:
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2018
Kim’s tweet presented an opportunity for Tillerson to showcase his skills. But, Tillerson did nothing, forcing Trump to step in.
For President Trump, this showed Tillerson as weak.
The warnings came in August of last year, as Axios reported:
There’s a ticking problem with Rex Tillerson, and it’s growing louder by the day, according to officials inside and close to the White House. President Trump has been growing increasingly frustrated with his Secretary of State. One time recently, after Trump had returned from a meeting on Afghanistan, a source recalled Trump saying, “Rex just doesn’t get it, he’s totally establishment in his thinking.”
Trump explained that though Tillerson is from industry, he’d been poisoned. But things got worse during the event in Charlottesville.
Axios continues,
Tillerson’s jaw-dropping comments on TV today will likely only worsen their relationship. Fox News Sunday moderator Chris Wallace asked Tillerson about Trump’s response to the racist carnage in Charlottesville. Tillerson replied: “I don’t believe anyone doubts the American people’s values or the commitment of the American government, or the government’s agencies to advancing those values and defending those values.”Wallace asked the obvious follow-up question: “And the president’s values?” “The president speaks for himself,” Tillerson said.Wallace looked stunned.
News of Tillerson’s departure from the State Department came as the Secretary arrived back to Washington early Tuesday morning after his overseas visit to Africa where he reaffirmed the U.S.- Africa relationship in spite of alleged vulgar comments made by the president about immigrations from African nations back in January.
CBS News’ Kylie Atwood reports that Tillerson was leaving his Africa trip early to return back to Washington to talk with Mr. Trump and connect on developments in North Korea, which he was largely left out of as the White House announced it would be taking up talks with the regime sometime in May.
Of course another Trump administration departure allows Leftists to claim that Trump is unhinged. He is not.
The replace of Tillerson with Pompeo is an excellent choice. Pompeo is pro-Trump and pro-American. Moreover, he knows more about the state of the world than Tillerson would have learned in multiple lifetimes.
Year Two of the Trump presidency will bring the experts. You can bet that President Trump knows more the lay of the land, as he continues the swamp drain. Understand that he will jettison many more staffers this year, and the Left will claim victory. But turnover is good when done by an astute leader.
Thankfully, Trump won’t make any apologies for his actions.
