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| Trump fires Rex Tillerson as secretary of state | Trump fires Rex Tillerson as secretary of state |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| US President Donald Trump has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via Twitter, naming CIA Director Mike Pompeo as his replacement. | US President Donald Trump has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via Twitter, naming CIA Director Mike Pompeo as his replacement. |
| Mr Tillerson's spokesman said he only learned he was out of a job when he saw the president's tweet thanking him for his service as top US diplomat. | Mr Tillerson's spokesman said he only learned he was out of a job when he saw the president's tweet thanking him for his service as top US diplomat. |
| The former ExxonMobil chief had a series of public rifts with the White House since he was appointed last year. | The former ExxonMobil chief had a series of public rifts with the White House since he was appointed last year. |
| Mr Trump also named Gina Haspel to become the CIA's first female director. | Mr Trump also named Gina Haspel to become the CIA's first female director. |
| What was Trump's reason? | What was Trump's reason? |
| Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, Mr Trump said his differences with Mr Tillerson came down to personal "chemistry". | Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, Mr Trump said his differences with Mr Tillerson came down to personal "chemistry". |
| "We got along actually quite well, but we disagreed on things," said the president. | "We got along actually quite well, but we disagreed on things," said the president. |
| "When you look at the Iran deal, I think it's terrible. I guess he thought it was OK. | "When you look at the Iran deal, I think it's terrible. I guess he thought it was OK. |
| "I wanted to either break it or do something and he felt a little bit differently, so we were not really thinking the same. | "I wanted to either break it or do something and he felt a little bit differently, so we were not really thinking the same. |
| "With Mike, Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. I think it's going to go very well. | "With Mike, Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. I think it's going to go very well. |
| "Rex is a very good man, I like Rex a lot." | "Rex is a very good man, I like Rex a lot." |
| Mr Tillerson is the latest in a long list of senior officials who have either resigned or been fired since Mr Trump took office. | Mr Tillerson is the latest in a long list of senior officials who have either resigned or been fired since Mr Trump took office. |
| How was Tillerson fired? | How was Tillerson fired? |
| The Department of State said Mr Tillerson had not spoken to the president and was "unaware of the reason" for his firing. | The Department of State said Mr Tillerson had not spoken to the president and was "unaware of the reason" for his firing. |
| Under Secretary Steve Goldstein said: "The Secretary had every intention of staying because of the critical progress made in national security." | Under Secretary Steve Goldstein said: "The Secretary had every intention of staying because of the critical progress made in national security." |
| Mr Goldstein himself was fired later on Tuesday by the White House. | Mr Goldstein himself was fired later on Tuesday by the White House. |
| Mr Tillerson said later in a news conference that he had received a call from the president on Air Force One after midday, about three hours after Mr Trump fired him via tweet. | |
| He added he would finish his term on 31 March and would "return to private life as a private citizen". | |
| According to the Associated Press, White House chief of staff John Kelly called Mr Tillerson on Friday and advised him to watch out for a presidential tweet about him. | According to the Associated Press, White House chief of staff John Kelly called Mr Tillerson on Friday and advised him to watch out for a presidential tweet about him. |
| Mr Kelly did not tell Mr Tillerson when the tweet would be posted or what it might say, reports the news agency. | Mr Kelly did not tell Mr Tillerson when the tweet would be posted or what it might say, reports the news agency. |
| The secretary of state was on an official tour of Africa last week when he was caught unawares by Mr Trump's agreement to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. | The secretary of state was on an official tour of Africa last week when he was caught unawares by Mr Trump's agreement to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. |
| The top US diplomat's team said he was feeling unwell on Saturday and later in the weekend the state department said he would cut short his tour by a day. | The top US diplomat's team said he was feeling unwell on Saturday and later in the weekend the state department said he would cut short his tour by a day. |
| "I felt like, look, I just need to get back," Mr Tillerson told reporters on his plane home, reports the Washington Post. | "I felt like, look, I just need to get back," Mr Tillerson told reporters on his plane home, reports the Washington Post. |
| The 65-year-old arrived back in Washington before dawn on Tuesday to learn he was out of a job a few hours later. | The 65-year-old arrived back in Washington before dawn on Tuesday to learn he was out of a job a few hours later. |
| The odd couple of politics no more | The odd couple of politics no more |
| Analysis by Jon Sopel, BBC North America editor | Analysis by Jon Sopel, BBC North America editor |
| The end was a perfect metaphor for the relationship. The odd couple of politics had been yoked together for too long. | The end was a perfect metaphor for the relationship. The odd couple of politics had been yoked together for too long. |
| Men of different temperaments, demeanour and style had reached a parting of the ways. | Men of different temperaments, demeanour and style had reached a parting of the ways. |
| The secretary of state landed back at Joint Base Andrews to have a member of staff inform him that the president had tweeted. | The secretary of state landed back at Joint Base Andrews to have a member of staff inform him that the president had tweeted. |
| Because Mr Tillerson is not on Twitter, the tweet had to be printed out. Fancy being the one tasked with handing that over to the boss. Fired by a tweet. | Because Mr Tillerson is not on Twitter, the tweet had to be printed out. Fancy being the one tasked with handing that over to the boss. Fired by a tweet. |
| The career of a one-time giant of corporate America had come to an ignominious end. | The career of a one-time giant of corporate America had come to an ignominious end. |
| Read Jon's analysis in full | Read Jon's analysis in full |
| Who are the nominees? | Who are the nominees? |
| A US Senate report found that Ms Haspel ran a notorious CIA prison in Thailand, where prisoners were waterboarded in 2002. | A US Senate report found that Ms Haspel ran a notorious CIA prison in Thailand, where prisoners were waterboarded in 2002. |
| The CIA deputy director was also accused of destroying dozens of videotapes of interrogations at the camp. | The CIA deputy director was also accused of destroying dozens of videotapes of interrogations at the camp. |
| Mr Pompeo is a former hardline conservative Republican lawmaker from Kansas and a Trump loyalist. | Mr Pompeo is a former hardline conservative Republican lawmaker from Kansas and a Trump loyalist. |
| In 2014, he defended the CIA officers who waterboarded detainees as "patriots". | In 2014, he defended the CIA officers who waterboarded detainees as "patriots". |
| Both the new secretary of state and CIA director will have to be confirmed by the Senate. | Both the new secretary of state and CIA director will have to be confirmed by the Senate. |
| Why was Tillerson fired? | Why was Tillerson fired? |
| Reports had swirled since last year of a schism in the Trump administration between the commander-in-chief and his top diplomat. | Reports had swirled since last year of a schism in the Trump administration between the commander-in-chief and his top diplomat. |
| Last October Mr Tillerson was forced to convene a news conference to deny claims he planned to quit, though he did not address a report that he had referred to his boss as a moron after a Pentagon meeting. | Last October Mr Tillerson was forced to convene a news conference to deny claims he planned to quit, though he did not address a report that he had referred to his boss as a moron after a Pentagon meeting. |
| Last autumn, Mr Trump publicly undercut the former Texas oilman by tweeting that he was "wasting his time" trying to negotiate with North Korea. | Last autumn, Mr Trump publicly undercut the former Texas oilman by tweeting that he was "wasting his time" trying to negotiate with North Korea. |
| In December, the secretary of state departed from administration talking points when he offered to begin direct talks with Pyongyang without preconditions. | In December, the secretary of state departed from administration talking points when he offered to begin direct talks with Pyongyang without preconditions. |
| The White House - which insisted North Korea must first accept any negotiations would be about giving up its nuclear arsenal - distanced itself from his remarks. | The White House - which insisted North Korea must first accept any negotiations would be about giving up its nuclear arsenal - distanced itself from his remarks. |
| Mr Tillerson was reported to be astonished at how little Mr Trump grasped the basics of foreign policy. | Mr Tillerson was reported to be astonished at how little Mr Trump grasped the basics of foreign policy. |
| The Republican president, meanwhile, was irritated by Mr Tillerson's body language during meetings, the New York Times reported. | The Republican president, meanwhile, was irritated by Mr Tillerson's body language during meetings, the New York Times reported. |
| The secretary of state was said to roll his eyes or slouch when he disagreed with Mr Trump's decisions. | The secretary of state was said to roll his eyes or slouch when he disagreed with Mr Trump's decisions. |