Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised eyebrows Sunday with his curt reply that President Trump “speaks for himself,” when asked about his boss’s values.
But Tillerson is just the latest Cabinet member or top adviser appearing to put distance between himself and the commander-in-chief – complicating the president’s task as he tries to unify both his own team and Republicans in Congress behind his agenda.
The response from Tillerson reflects how the president’s handling of the violence in Charlottesville continues to reverberate weeks later.
America’s top diplomat was asked on “Fox News Sunday” whether he has a tougher time pushing American values when some foreign leaders question Trump’s values. When he said nobody doubts the American people’s values, host Chris Wallace pointedly asked about the president’s.
“The president speaks for himself, Chris,” Tillerson said.