51吃瓜

If the reports are true, Rex Tillerson was correct to call Donald Trump a moron. But that doesn’t get him off the hook.

It is reassuring to hear that President Donald Trump鈥檚 obdurate behavior has stupefied his own cabinet members and not just the American people. On October 4, reported that Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state, had considered resigning over the summer and, at one point, had called Trump a 鈥渕oron鈥� after a meeting at the Pentagon in late July. Stephanie Ruhle, one of the journalists who broke the news, stood by her story in an interview amidst questions over its validity. 鈥淢y source didn鈥檛 just say聽that he called him a moron.聽He said an f-ing moron,鈥� Ruhle said.

At a press conference addressing the report, Tillerson refuted the allegation that he had threatened to leave the White House, but he did not deny that he ever called Trump a moron. 鈥淟et me tell you what I鈥檝e learned about this president, whom I did not know before taking this office,鈥� . 鈥淗e loves his country. He puts Americans and America first. He鈥檚 smart, he demands results wherever he goes, and he holds those around him accountable for whether they鈥檝e done the job he鈥檚 asked them to do.鈥�

Whether the NBC reports are true or not, it is more than probable that tensions between the two men have long been in gestation.聽Ever since Tillerson鈥檚 tenure began, Trump has contradicted and undermined him. In June, for instance, as Secretary Tillerson attempted to mediate a dispute between Qatar and other Gulf states, President held a press conference lambasting the Qataris and describing them as a 鈥渇under of terrorism at a very high level.鈥� And, according to , Jared Kushner may have a hand to play in the tumult as well. 鈥淪ome in the White House say that the discord in the Qatar dispute is part of a broader struggle over who is in charge of Middle East policy 鈥� Mr. Tillerson or Jared Kushner, the president鈥檚 son-in-law and a senior adviser 鈥� and that the secretary of state has a tin ear about the political realities of the Trump administration,鈥� the report reads.

, Trump sent out another series of feckless tweets, but this time targeting the secretary and his diplomatic foibles with North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un, whom the president refers to as 鈥渞ocket man.鈥� 鈥淚 told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man 鈥� Being nice to Rocket Man hasn’t worked in 25 years, why would it work now? Clinton failed, Bush failed, and Obama failed. I won’t fail,鈥� Trump tweeted.

IS TILLERSON ON HIS WAY OUT?

This is certainly not to excuse the indolence of Tillerson, who will presumably go down in history as one of the worst secretaries in American history. As these two reports , Tillerson has been most adroit at contributing to the mass departures of many future diplomatic leaders. Additionally, hundreds of positions in the State Department .

Some have compared Trump鈥檚 proclivity to be unpredictable when it comes to foreign policy with Richard Nixon鈥檚 鈥�.鈥� But the parallels eventually veer off when understanding that the Nixonian strategy 鈥� from his opening with China to the d茅tente with the Soviet Union 鈥� was carefully coordinated and meticulously crafted. The Trumpian strategy, however, has been wholly inept and sheer buffoonery, particularly when it comes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Paris Climate Accord.

And just as his uncontrollable adversary in Pyongyang, Trump鈥檚 threats are all vacuous and bluster. correctly notes: 鈥淎n equally likely鈥攐r even more likely鈥攐utcome is that North Korea will conclude that Trump is capable of nothing, based on past results.鈥� It would certainly be helpful if someone could illuminate the public as to where Trump鈥檚 continuing humiliation of his White House subordinates or the North Korean leader through social media fits in with his overall policy agenda. Trump鈥檚 impulse to impair his relationship with Secretary Tillerson, at a time when the world is rife with challenges needing to be dealt with, is just another example of a derelict in office instead of a foreign policy tactician.

As point out, Tillerson鈥檚 urge to defend himself from the claims made by the NBC report聽is not unique but awkward nonetheless, as it suggests that even he is willing to endure the same degree of humiliation from the president just like the rest of his sycophants. In fact, his denial of the claims has only made the visible rift even more obvious.

Whether Tillerson is on his way out or not, the same challenge will fester no matter who fills the role of secretary of state 鈥� that is to try to temper a perpetually unruly president who routinely undercuts his subordinates. While we watch in mild stupefaction as our credibility on the world stage unravels, the prescient words of the late American writer H.L. Mencken come to mind: 鈥淥n some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.鈥�

The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.

Photo Credit: /