Donald Trump’s demented reason for wanting Rex Tillerson gone
In the hours since it was revealed that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Donald Trump a “moron,” buzz has arisen as to how much longer Tillerson might last on the job. He’s seemingly long been frustrated, he has little to do since Trump gutted the State Department, and it’s never made sense why a lifelong oil executive who was headed to retirement was suddenly tapped for the top diplomatic cabinet position. Now Trump’s true reason for wanting Tillerson gone has emerged, and it’s nothing short of demented.
Remarkably, Trump doesn’t appear to be all that upset that Tillerson called him a moron – or at least that’s not his primary beef. In the middle of a new Washington Post article (link) which surfaced shortly after “moron-gate” emerged, we find thus stunning sentence: “And as Tillerson has traveled the globe, Trump believes his top diplomat often seems more concerned with what the world thinks of the United States than with tending to the president’s personal image.” Wait, what?
This tidbit was rather clearly leaked to the WaPo by Trump’s own people at his behest. Trump’s goal here is to make Tillerson look bad, so he can lay the groundwork for potentially shoving him out the back door. Yet Trump seems to think that the best way to turn the public against Tillerson is to convince everyone that Tillerson is more loyal to America than he is to Trump.
Donald Trump’s malignant narcissism is the stuff of legend. His advisers and staffers have long fallen in and out of favor with him based on how effectively they’ve been willing to kiss up to him, in public and in private. But this reveals that Trump is fully enveloped in his own narcissism, he truly believes Americans are willing to turn against Rex Tillerson based on his unwillingness to kiss up to Trump. For many Americans, that’s a reason to side with Tillerson.
