Ever since President Trump commented that there was violence “on both sides” in response to the death of a young woman in Charlottesville, Virginia, the question has been asked across the country and the world: Does Trump truly believe that, and if so, what does that say about him?
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was asked by host Chris Wallace if the president’s Trump’s comments are making it difficult for him to “push American values around the world.” Tillerson replied:
“Chris, we express America’s values from the State Department. We represent the American people. We represent America’s values, our commitment to freedom, our commitment to equal treatment of people the world over, and that message has never changed.”
Sensing that Tillerson hadn’t really answered the question, Wallace then queried:
“And when the president gets into the kind of controversy he does, and the U.N. committee responds the way it does, it seems to say they begin to doubt whether we’re living those values.”
Again, Tillerson attempted to sidestep the question:
“I don’t believe anyone doubts the American people’s values, or the commitment of the American government or the government’s agencies to advancing those values and defending those values.”
That led the Fox host to ask directly:
“And the president’s values?”
The Secretary of State’s response speaks volumes about how he sees his boss:
“The president speaks for himself, Chris.”
Wallace then asked if that meant Tillerson was distancing himself from Trump’s remarks. Tillerson replied:
“I’ve made my own comments as to our values as well in a speech I gave to the State Department this past week.”
Are you starting to get the feeling that Tillerson plans to leave the administration in the very near future?
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Chris Wallace on the President's values: "The President speaks for himself" @FoxNewsSunday pic.twitter.com/6wnD3i0kdE
— Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) August 27, 2017
Featured Image Via Fox News
