As Donald Trump looks to oust them both, Rex Tillerson and Ivanka Trump are targeting each other
Donald Trump has been wanting to oust his handpicked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ever since he learned that Tillerson had called him a “f—ing moron” behind his back. More recently, and more surprisingly, Donald Trump has begun trying to drive his own daughter Ivanka Trump out of the White House, flatly telling her to resign and move back to New York City. Now, as they each find themselves on the ropes, Tillerson and Ivanka are taking it out on each other.
Ivanka Trump is arguably trying to undermine Rex Tillerson by carrying out her own brand of international diplomacy with a headlining trip to India. There’s no mistaking Tillerson’s response, as he’s refusing to allow any of his senior State Department staff to accompany her, according to a CNN report (link). It’ll make Ivanka look illegitimate for showing up without any actual diplomats with her, and it’ll make Tillerson look petty for having refused to let them attend. So why are they targeting each other?
If this dust-up had happened a week ago, we might have assumed that Tillerson was looking to snub Donald Trump by snubbing Trump’s daughter. But now that Vanity Fair has revealed Donald is trying to send Ivanka packing (link) and a pair of subsequent newspaper articles suggested that Jared Kushner is calling Trump’s bluff, it’s anyone’s guess as to what’s going on. Is Tillerson trying to gain favor with Donald Trump by sabotaging Ivanka’s trip?
In any case, Donald Trump’s failing White House has now become so chaotic that his daughter and his Secretary of State are now targeting each other for extinction – and it’s no longer even clear which side Donald might be on in this feud. It’s far from the first in-house feud for the illegitimate Trump administration, but it might end up being the most embarrassing to date.
