Trump terms Tillerson's ouster as Fake News

Washington DC (USA) December 2 (ANI): Quashing the speculation that the White House was hatching a plan to oust Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, United States President Donald Trump has said that 'he is not leaving'.

President Trump took to his Twitter account on Friday and said, "The media has been speculating that I fired Rex Tillerson or that he would be leaving soon - FAKE NEWS!"

"He's not leaving and while we disagree on certain subjects, (I call the final shots) we work well together and America is highly respected again!" Trump tweeted.

Tillerson has been at odds with Trump over a host of major issues. Their approaches have disparities on North Korea and Iran's nuclear programme among other issues.

Tillerson, earlier in the day, dubbed the reports of the White House planning to get rid of him as 'laughable'.

"It's laughable. It's laughable," Tillerson told reporters during a photo-op with the visiting Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al- Sarraj, according to media reports.

Tillerson on Thursday made an unannounced visit to the White House after the news spread of CIA Director Mike Pompeo replacing him as the Secretary of State.

Earlier, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders ducked the question on Tillerson's replacement and said, "When the president loses confidence in someone, they will no longer serve in the capacity that they're in."

Tillerson on December 4 will embark on a major European trip to discuss important global and bilateral issues.

"Tillerson will travel to Brussels, Belgium; Vienna, Austria; and Paris, France, December 4-8, to discuss bilateral issues," said an official statement. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI