President Trump suggested he and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson should compare IQ tests in an interview out Tuesday.
Reacting to reports last week that Mr. Tillerson referred to Mr. Trump as a “moron,” the president suggested he’d win an aptitude test in an interview with Forbes.
“I think it’s fake news, but if he did that, I guess we’ll have to compare IQ tests. And I can tell you who is going to win,” Mr. Trump told Forbes.
The issue was brought up again at the State Department press briefing Tuesday when a reporter asked spokeswoman Heather Nauert about Mr. Tillerson’s IQ.
“It’s high,” she said, laughing at the question. “Anyone who can put things together, you know, and as an engineer, it’s high.”
When the president was asked by Forbes if he was “having fun,” he said yes, and proceeded to tout his economic record and accomplishments in just about 10 months in office.
“I am having fun. I’m enjoying it. We’re accomplishing a lot. Your stock market is at an all-time high,” he said. “Your jobs, your unemployment is at the lowest point in almost 17 years. We have fantastic numbers coming out.”
When asked about his tax plan Mr. Trump told the news outlet that he originally asked for a 15 percent corporate rate so he could actually set it at 20 percent, using a negotiating tactic.
“As you know, this will be a negotiation for the next 30 days. But I wanted the 15 in order to get to 20,” he said.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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