Tillerson, who was ousted in March 2018, told the magazine: ‘I held regular meetings with a list of four to five things I had to talk to him about, and I quickly learned that it was a home, and i realize that it’s probably the best goal to get two that are meaningful. ‘
He added that he started taking maps and photos ‘with him’ because I found that it kept his attention better. ‘
‘I think the other challenge I realized early on was that there were so many people who had access to his ear who told him things, most of which were untrue, and then he started listening to the voices and forming a view. . it had no basis, “said the former foreign minister.
‘Then you have spent an excessive amount of time working on why it is not true, working through why it is not factual, and working through why it is not the basis on which you want to understand it, you have to set it aside “Let’s talk about what I think was a big challenge like anything,” Tillerson said.
However, his statements of praise were again criticized last week by US diplomats, who believe Pompeo’s festive sentiments are shocking given the riots and violence that marked Trump’s last days in office, three US diplomats told CNN.
Pompeo tweeted on Wednesday morning while preparing for the debate and vote on Trump’s second accusation, suggesting he should receive the Nobel Prize.
Pompeo also remained loyal to Trump – condemning the violent crowd, but in no way pointing out that Trump incited the uprising – while a handful of other cabinet secretaries resigned after the violent siege of Capitol Hill.
One primary difference that daylight can explain between Pompeo and Tillerson: Pompeo has future political ambitions and Tillerson does not.
“Unfortunately for Tillerson, he got a taste of politics and he probably never wants to deal with it again,” said Douglas Heye, a GOP strategist. ‘ ‘happened because he has no ownership of it, while some of his Republican rivals like Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz do.’
Tillerson, who has remained relatively quiet about his tenure as Trump’s top diplomat, also made it clear that he is completely at odds with Pompeo when it comes to the Trump administration’s China policy.
“We are nowhere with China on national security. We are in a worse place today than before he came in, and I did not think that was possible,” he said.
Tillerson said he believes China will be the biggest problem for the Biden government.
“I fear that within a decade we will come to a military conflict with China and that will be when they move to Taiwan. They have long put all their pieces in place to do this, and it is [Chinese President Xi Jinping’s] legacy, to reunite China, ”he said.
Trump’s China policy – which degenerated overwhelmingly in the latter part of his presidency, especially because he wanted to blame China for the coronavirus – is considered by Pompeo to be one of the government’s greatest achievements.
Tillerson said he would never be able to understand Trump ‘s contempt for allies.
“He saw people as weak. He said it over and over again. I do not know why he considered them weak, except that they oversaw free lands,” he said.
Tillerson also could not understand Trump’s desire to challenge opponents, and he noted that the president’s meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un was one of the last straws between him and me.
Although it was known that Pompeo was privately skeptical about how successful Trump’s approach to Kim would be, sources told CNN he never said it in public. Instead, he consistently supported Trump’s approach and even announced Trump’s meetings with Kim so effectively, even though they did not yield tangible results on North Korea’s deprivation.