Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson on Sunday downplayed a Republican senator’s claim that President Trump has undermined and even “castrated” him on the world stage.
“I checked. I’m fully intact,” Mr. Tillerson told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Mr. Tillerson was responding to criticism of Mr. Trump by Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican who admires the secretary.
Mr. Tillerson recently held an extraordinary press conference to combat reports that he faces an irreparable rift with the president, who appeared to undercut his stance toward handing North Korea in recent weeks.
A report by NBC News said Mr. Tillerson called Mr. Trump a “moron” in private; the secretary of state said he wouldn’t address “petty nonsense.”
On Sunday, Mr. Tillerson said Mr. Trump may be “unique,” but there’s a method behind his approach to Washington to induce change from health care to immigration to the Iran nuclear deal.
“I am fully committed to his objectives. I agree with his objectives, I agree with what he’s trying to do,” he said. “How he wants to use his own skills, tactically, to push things toward change, I’m there to help him achieve those.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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