Report: Trump Is 'Fed Up' With Tillerson

Could Rex Tillerson be the next bold-faced name banished from President Trump's inner circle? Calls for the secretary of state's head are growing louder in the White House, Axios reports, citing sources who say Trump has grown "increasingly frustrated" by Tillerson. The nation's top diplomat didn't do his cause any benefit on Sunday by drawing a line between "America's values" and the president's. Speaking on Fox News Sunday about the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Tillerson said, per the Washington Post, "I don't believe anyone doubts the American people's values," or the US government's commitment to defending them. When host Chris Wallace asked whether Tillerson was "separating" himself from Trump's comments, which included blaming "many sides" for the fighting, Tillerson responded, "The president speaks for himself."

It's not the first time "Rexit" rumors have roiled the capital, but sources tell Axios the president has grown "more and more fed up" with a secretary he thinks is too "establishment in his thinking." After a meeting on Afghanistan recently, Trump reportedly griped, "Rex just doesn't get it." Other knocks on Tillerson: contradicting Trump on Qatar, pushing to re-certify the Iran nuclear deal Trump wants to ax, and failing to fill key State Department jobs. As for the knock, a Tillerson rep blames a "busted" system. "The secretary sends over recommendations and they sit on the dock." A State Department rep said in July that Tillerson has no plans to leave, but serves "at the pleasure of the president." (More President Trump stories.)