GOP lawmaker: Trump-Tillerson tensions are part of the president’s ‘strategy’

Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) said Monday that he thinks the tension between President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is part of the president’s “strategy.”

In an interview on CNN, Duffy praised the president’s approach to North Korea, saying it’s “smart” for the president to be taking action.

“What I think has set us on a path to World War III is past presidents who have turned a blind eye to North Korea building a nuclear weapon,” Duffy said. “This is President Trump finally being the adult in the room saying, ‘We have to address this.’”

.@RepSeanDuffy: “I don’t buy into the idea President Trump doesn’t have control over his admin.,” it’s his strategy https://t.co/Lyx7WekfFU

— New Day (@NewDay) October 9, 2017

Duffy’s comments come after retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said that Trump’s comments on North Korea are setting the country on a path to World War III. Corker is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

{mosads}Trump has used Twitter to threaten North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and last week tweeted that Tillerson should “save his energy” with regards to the regime, sparking concerns that the president and his secretary are not in sync in their approach to foreign policy.

Reports then emerged that Tillerson had considered leaving his post over the summer, and that he had privately called Trump a “moron.” A spokeswoman for the State Department said Tillerson had not made the remark.

Duffy said he does not believe accusations that the president “doesn’t have control over his administration,” and that the conflict between Trump and Tillerson is part of his strategy.

He said that if they weren’t on the same page, Tillerson would have been fired long ago.

“When people don’t do what President Trump says, they’re out of the administration,” Duffy said.