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Donald Trump ‘wants to compare IQs’ with his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

DONALD Trump says he’s smarter than his Secretary of State who reportedly dubbed him a ‘moron’, calling to compare IQ tests.

US President Donald Trump sits alongside US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Picture: AFP
US President Donald Trump sits alongside US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Picture: AFP

US President Donald Trump has suggested comparing IQ tests with his Secretary of State after Rex Tillerson reportedly called him a “moron.”

“I think it’s fake news, but if he did that, I guess we’ll have to compare IQ tests,” Mr Trump told Forbes magazine in an interview. “And I can tell you who is going to win.”

US President Donald Trump (L) and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Picture: AFP
US President Donald Trump (L) and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Picture: AFP

NBC reported last week that Sec. ​Tillerson referred to the president as a “moron” and was on the verge of resigning ​after he clashed with the administration until Vice President Pence​ managed to persuade him to stay with the post until at least the end of the year.

Sec. Tillerson, in a hastily called news conference at the State Department that same day, pushed back on the claim that he came close to resigning but wouldn’t deny the “moron” comment.

​“The vice president has never had to persuade me to remain as secretary of state because I have never considered leaving this post,” Sec. Tillerson said​ at the news conference.

​Asked about the “moron” comment, Sec. Tillerson sidestepped the question.

​“The places I come from, we don’t deal with that kind of petty nonsense,” Sec. Tillerson said. “I’m just not going to be part of this effort to divide this administration​.”

Mr Trump called the report “Fake News” in a tweet.

“Rex Tillerson never threatened to resign. This is Fake News put out by @NBCNews. Low news and reporting standards. No verification from me. ​,” he tweeted last Thursday.

Mr Trump’s spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said the president was “making a joke” and that he had met with Sec. Tillerson today and that the two men were focused on the administration’s agenda.

“Maybe you guys should get a sense of humour,” she told reporters.

It comes as another report in The Washington Post said that insiders believe Mr Trump is “rupturing alliances” in and out of the White House.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) and US President Donald Trump waiting for a luncheon. Picture: AFP
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) and US President Donald Trump waiting for a luncheon. Picture: AFP

Republican Senator Bob Corker’s brutal assessment of Mr Trump’s fitness for office has left the party shaken.

“I know for a fact that every single day at the White House, it’s a situation of trying to contain him,” Sen. Corker said. “A lot of people think that there is some kind of ‘good cop, bad cop’ act underway, but that’s just not true.”

“He concerns me. He would have to concern anyone who cares about our nation,” he said. “Trump may be setting the US on the path to World War III.”

Republican Senator Bob Corker has a brutal assessment on President Trump. Picture: AP
Republican Senator Bob Corker has a brutal assessment on President Trump. Picture: AP

A Trump loyalist said that Senator Corker has many more friends in the Senate than Mr Trump does, meaning it could hurt his chances for a tax law overhaul.

“His presidency could be doomed,” said this person.

Another Trump confidant likened the president to a whistling teapot, saying that when he does not blow off steam, he can turn into a pressure cooker and explode.

“I think we are in pressure cooker territory,” the source said.

Mr Trump directed the blame for the story to The New York Times in a tweet overnight, but managed to mock Sen Corker simultaenously.

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/donald-trump-wants-to-compare-iqs-with-his-secretary-of-state-rex-tillerson/news-story/d8126f213a8aee4946f9284240ccec12