Trump To Have Lunch With Tillerson Following Sec State’s Critical Comment

dailycaller.com ^ | Alex Pfeiffer

[RoosterRedux]

President Donald Trump will have lunch with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Monday after Tillerson appeared to distance Trump’s statements from the nation’s values.

The president isn’t one to take kindly to criticism, but he has yet to publicly comment on Tillerson’s remarks. The White House schedule for Monday says that Trump and Vice President Pence will have lunch with the secretary of state, and later Trump will host a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.

Tillerson appeared on “Fox News Sunday” and said that the State Department represents “America’s values, our commitment to freedom, our commitment to equal treatment of people the world over, and that message has never changed.”

He continued on to say that he doesn’t believe “anyone doubts the American people’s values,” and host Chris Wallace asked, “And the president’s values?”

Tillerson replied, “The president speaks for himself, Chris.”

[RoosterRedux]

I watched this live and thought is was strange (to say the least).

[nikos1121]

I would hate to see Tillerson leave.

[Paulie]

Will they be discussing this over some chocolate cake?

The Tomahawks are at the ready...

[VietVet]

The remark, no matter how it is being interpreted, is not really critical of Pres. Trump. He DOES speak for himself; loudly, clearly, not always diplomatically. It is others who try to put a negative spin on what he says.

[littleharbour]

Wishful thinking. Tillerson and McMaster have both made it clear that they are calling the shots in their departments and that Trump’s views are secondary. None of Trump’s appointees seem to be in sync with his agenda.

[txrefugee]

What a weird comment for the Sec. of State to make. He ought to resign if he can’t support the President.

[Religion and Politics]

I am a Trump fan, but I can imagine that the tempo of the war that Trump is waging is outpacing the supply lines of reason to support the cause. Maybe it is time to put some objectives into focus.

[Sacajaweau]

I saw it, too. Tillerson said that President Trump speaks for himself...and no more. Nothing derogatory about it. Not one little teensy bit.

[Sacajaweau]

I agree with you and wrote the same.

[Sacajaweau]

Nothing weird about it. Chris was playing Tillerson. Wake up!!

[Russ]

Tillerson will only get one scoop of ice cream...

[MarvinStinson]

Mattis, Tillerson, McMasteer all stink.

[DoodleDawg]

...and later Trump will host a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.

I predict zero questions on Finland, zero questions on the hurricane,and multiple questions on the Arpaio pardon and the Gorka firing and the Tillerson comments.

[RoosterRedux]

What bothered me was that it was a non-answer to a question.

An active response would have been something like "of course the President shares America's values."

A non-statement or non-answer leaves the question hanging (which, of course, Chris Wallace loved).

[Governor Dinwiddie]

#5: "Tillerson and McMaster have both made it clear that they are calling the shots … and that Trump’s views are secondary."

See this article about Tillerson: Dark Knight of the Hoax. It provides background on Tillerson and his rise to power, a chameleon whose views on are shaped by the prevailing cultural winds (gay agenda, global warming, etc).

 

[Sacajaweau]

It was not a non answer. The answer was perfect....He said ...

"Ask the President, not me".....

It's not an opinion question.

Chris was playing a game. Tillerson stopped it.

[Herodes]

Still waiting...waiting...waiting, for Tillerson to clean house at the State Department.

[gibsonguy]

I would hate to see Tillerson leave.”

Depends who replaced him. Rex believes AGW, a deal breaker for me, he put gay scoutmasters in the Boy Scouts and stood by when the State Dept trashed Israel a month ago. I would not be surprised if helped push Gorka out.

[DaveA37]

“The remark, no matter how it is being interpreted, is not really critical of Pres. Trump.”.......

Exactly! Once again, the media (Wallace) tried to make something out of nothing. Tillerson stated that he wasn’t speaking for Trump but for himself on American values. His response was appropriate. (Another FOX media looser trying to start a war and giving me another reason to hate the media)

[binreadin]

I agree. Tillerson hasn't been breathing the air of the common man for many decades, and he's a go-along, get-along kind of guy. He reminds me of Colin Powell. I don't think Tillerson’s answer to Wallace was at all what it could have been—Wallace served him up a question that gave him a chance to support his boss wholeheartedly and he hit that answer into the net instead. He's in this for himself, not for us. He and McMaster are cut from the same cloth—corporate guys, willing to say whatever they think will curry favor with the higher-ups. We've all sat around the table with those guys. Makes me think that Tillerson doesn't believe that Trump is really running the government—as there is someone else he is toadying up to. Who might that be?