President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, March 13, that Rex Tillerson’s tumultuous tenure as secretary of state has come to an end. Tillerson will be replaced by CIA director Mike Pompeo.
“Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job!” Trump, 71, tweeted. “Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!”
Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018
In a statement to CBS News, the real estate mogul added, “I have gotten to know Mike very well over the past 14 months, and I am confident he is the right person for the job at this critical juncture.”
An unnamed senior administration official told The New York Times that Trump decided to replace Tillerson in order to have a new team in place ahead of his upcoming talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, with whom the president has agreed to meet in May to discuss denuclearization.
The news of Tillerson’s exit ends months of reported discord between the Celebrity Apprentice alum and the former ExxonMobil chief executive, 65. In October, Tillerson held a news conference to deny that he was considering leaving his position, though he did not comment on an NBC News report that he had called Trump a “moron” during a meeting at the Pentagon earlier in the year.
