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.
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.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.”
-
September 13 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include court-approved racial profiling and America's moral compass
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictator
In the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
Calls for both calm and consequences follow Kirk killing
TALKING POINTS The suspected assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk has some public figures pleading for restraint, while others agitate for violent reprisals
-
Why does Donald Trump keep showing up at major sporting events?
Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purge
Speed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ouster
Speed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Trump threatens critics with federal charges
Feature Days after FBI agents raided John Bolton's home, Trump threatened legal action against Chris Christie