While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, President Trump stated that while he got along with ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, “we were not really thinking the same. With Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process.” Trump also stated, “we’re getting very close to having the Cabinet and other things that I want.”
Trump said, “I’ve worked with Mike Pompeo now for quite some time, tremendous energy, tremendous intellect. We’re always on the same wavelength. The relationship has been very good. And that’s what I need as secretary of state. I wish Rex Tillerson well. Gina [Haspel], by the way, who I know very well, who I’ve worked [with] very closely, will be the first woman director of the CIA. She is an outstanding person, who also I have gotten to know very well. So, I’ve gotten to know a lot of people very well over the last year, and I’m really at a point where we’re getting very close to having the Cabinet and other things that I want.”
He added, “Rex and I have been talking about this for a long time. We got along, actually, quite well, but we disagreed on things. When you look at the Iran deal, I think it’s terrible. I guess he [thought] it was okay. I wanted to either break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently. So, we were not really thinking the same. With Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. I think it’s going to go very well. Rex is a very good man. I like Rex a lot. I really appreciate his commitment and his service. And I’ll be speaking to Rex over a long period of time.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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