Who's moron here? Trump teases Tillerson over IQ

Friday, 13 October, 2017

Is Donald Trump really a "moron," as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has reportedly alleged - or is Trump actually smarter than his own top diplomat gives him credit for?

Trump, clearly scorned by reports of Tillerson's comments, told Forbes in an interview released Tuesday that he has a higher IQ than his secretary of state.

"I think it's fake news, but if he did that, I guess we'll have to compare IQ tests".

He added, "And I can tell you who is going to win". Trump also told Lane that he didn't see a need to appoint the hundreds of State Department positions that are now unfilled. "I mean, you look at some of these agencies, how massive they are, and it's totally unnecessary".

NBC News said Tillerson's "moron" comment followed a meeting on Afghanistan in which Trump compared "the decision-making process on troop levels to the renovation of a high-end NY restaurant".

President had previously alluded to beating Tillerson in an intelligence test.

Trump's tense relationship with Tillerson burst into public view last week.

More news: Fires roar across Napa, Sonoma, emergency declared

"No, I didn't undercut anybody".

Tillerson addressed the story last week that also stated he was close to resigning last summer.

Tillerson adamantly denied he considered resigning, while a spokeswoman later pushed back on the "moron" anecdote, though reporters stood by the account.

The online comment seemed to undercut Tillerson, but Trump defended it in his interview with Forbes, reiterating that the secretary of state "was wasting his time".

Tillerson and Trump were set to meet Tuesday morning, in addition to their scheduled lunch with Defense Secretary James Mattis, alongside other national security officials to discuss Iran, North Korea and other issues, according to this State Department official.

The White House has repeatedly smacked down NBC's reporting on Tillerson, with Trump repeatedly calling it "fake news" on Twitter.

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