It’s not supposed to be how throwing-under-the-bus works, but Tillerson did it this morning. Trump may or may not have confidence in his top officials, but Tillerson’s remarks — together with Gary Cohen’s — show that some of his officials don’t have confidence in him. Just another day in what Yuval calls the standing crisis. From the Washington Post:
Tillerson was asked on “Fox News Sunday” whether he thought Trump was expressing American values of tolerance and equality in his handling of racial violence during a white supremacist march in Charlottesville earlier this month.
“The president speaks for himself,” he said.
When host Chris Wallace then asked whether Tillerson was “separating himself” from Trump’s remarks, Tillerson answered, “I’ve made my own comments as to our values.”
That was a reference to remarks Tillerson made Aug. 18 about inclusiveness and tolerance in a discussion of racial diversity and American values. His remarks were read as implicit criticism of Trump and his assertion that “both sides” were to blame for violence that killed a woman who was protesting the white supremacist rally.