Donald Trump fires Rex Tillerson on Twitter
CIA director Mike Pompeo to take over as secretary of state
Donald Trump has sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and will nominate CIA director Mike Pompeo to replace him as the nation’s top diplomat.
After months of simmering tension between Trump and Tillerson, the US president made the announcement on Twitter today.
Tillerson, who has just returned from a trip to Africa, learned of his firing from the tweet and wasn’t told why he was being removed from the post, according to a State Department official.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Gina Haspel, currently deputy director at the CIA, has been chosen to succeed Pompeo. If approved, she will become the first woman in history to run the spy agency.
Both Haspel and Pompeo would need to be confirmed by the Senate “at a time when the closely divided chamber has stalled on confirming dozens of Trump nominees”, The Washington Post says.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said Pompeo would be “a truly great” secretary of state. “We are always on the same wavelength.”
The president added: “As far as Rex Tillerson is concerned, I very much appreciate his commitment and his service, and I wish him well.”
Tillerson joins a long list of sacked White House employees, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, ex-chief of staff Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon, who was the president’s chief strategist.
Former ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson, who served as secretary of state for little over a year, has long been at odds with Trump over key foreign policy issues including the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris climate accord, and how to approach North Korea.
A senior administration official told The New York Times that Tillerson was being replaced now in order to have a new team set up ahead of planned talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and for various ongoing trade negotiations.
The sacking won’t come as a surprise to most insiders. Tillerson had “few, if any, allies in the West Wing”, CNN reports. “Trump’s anger at Tillerson after it leaked last year that the secretary of state called him ‘a moron’ never subsided, and many in the White House saw their differences as irreconcilable.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Epic meltdown'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
The World of Tim Burton: a 'creepy, witty and visually ravishing' exhibition
The Week Recommends Sprawling show at the Design Museum features over 600 exhibits from across the directors' five-decade career from early sketches to costumes and props
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: October 31, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Donald Trump sees himself as 'protector' of Israel
The Explainer What does that mean for the war in Gaza?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'Empowered' Steve Bannon released from prison
Speed Read Bannon was set free a week before Election Day and quickly returned to his right-wing podcast to promote Trump
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump promises a rollback of the green energy revolution
The Explainer A pro-fossil fuel agenda dominates the GOP nominee's climate change policies
By David Faris Published
-
'We might need to fiddle with our technology more than we think'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'I am not a Nazi,' Trump says amid MSG rally fallout
Speed Read Trump and his campaign are attempting to stem the fallout from comments made by speakers at Sunday's rally
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why might The Washington Post's nonendorsement matter more?
Today's Big Question The Jeff Bezos-owned publication's last-minute decision to rescind its presidential preference might not tip the electoral scales, but it could be a sign of ominous things to come
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Presidential campaign enters final week with big rallies
Speed Read The race is still tied nationally and in the swing states, where the candidates are spending time
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published