After news reports suggesting that he had threatened to resign earlier this year, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson publicly denied that he thought about leaving his diplomatic post, accusing some in the nation's capital of trying to sow discord inside the Trump Administration, as he said the claim that he called the President a 'moron,' was nothing but 'petty nonsense.'
"There's never been a consideration in my mind to leave," Tillerson told reporters at a hastily scheduled statement at the State Department.
"I serve at the appointment of the President, and I am here for as long as the President feels I can be useful to his objectives," Tillerson added.
"There's much to be done, and we're just getting started," the Secretary of State said.
As for the President, Tillerson gave no hint of any differences with Mr. Trump, something that has been widely discussed in Washington, D.C. in recent months.
"He loves his country. He puts Americans and Americans first," Tillerson said. "He's smart, and demands results wherever he goes."
Asked directly if he had called Mr. Trump a 'moron,' Tillerson sidestepped that question, saying he was not going to address "petty stuff" like that, and repeatedly saying that he fully supports the President's foreign policy efforts.
As for the President, earlier this morning he had denounced reports from NBC News that Tillerson had threatened to resign, and of his negative reviews for Mr. Trump, labeling it 'fake news.'
Watching the televised statement by Tillerson from aboard Air Force One, the President pronounced himself fully satisfied.
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