Amid growing perceptions of a rift between President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, speculation is on that Trump may be looking to replace him with Indian-American Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Governor.
Significantly, Trump, along with his Vice President Mike Pence, had a luncheon meeting with Tillerson at the White House on Monday. Interestingly, this was followed by a meeting that Pence had with Haley.
“The coincidence of meetings led White House observers to comment on the possibility that Haley might be tapped to take over should Tillerson leave,” The Voice of America reported.
Reports of the purported rift have begun to gather steam in the wake of Tillerson’s remarks to Fox News on Sunday in response to questions about Trump’s comments blaming both white supremacists and counter-protesters for the racial violence in Charlottesville earlier this month.
In reply to a question on the issue, Tillerson told the news channel that he doesn’t “believe anyone doubts the American people’s values or the commitment of the American government or the government’s agencies to advancing those values and defending those values.”
When the interviewer followed up with the question about the President’s values, Tillerson, without elaborating, remarked: “The President speaks for himself.”
Pundits were quick to interpret Tillerson’s remark as a clear indication that he did not want to defend Trump, who has faced continued criticism over his comments not only from Democrats and the liberal mainstream media, but from Republicans and some administration officials as well.
Adding to the speculation about the possible exit of Tillerson, Axios news website reported that Trump “has been growing increasingly frustrated with his Secretary of State”, adding that Haley could be a possible replacement for him at Foggy Bottom, the State Department headquarters.
Citing an unnamed source, the website claimed that after a recent meeting on Afghanistan, the President commented, “Rex just doesn’t get it, he’s totally establishment in his thinking.”
“We’ve been hearing for weeks, from sources who’ve spoken to the president, that Trump is getting more and more fed up with Tillerson, who has still yet to staff his agency,” the Axios report went on to say.
Trump’s praise for Haley on several occasions in recent months is being viewed as a signal that he could be considering her for the key post as America’s top diplomat. Back in February, addressing a rally in Haley’s own South Carolina, Trump commented that Haley was “doing an awfully good job”, adding: “She’s representing America very well as our ambassador to the United Nations. She is doing a spectacular job.”