White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday ripped a question about whether President Donald Trump had undercut Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, saying the president "can't undercut his own Cabinet."
In remarks Wednesday responding to an NBC News report that he had threatened to resign this summer and called Trump a "moron," Tillerson denied he had ever considered resigning but he did not deny calling Trump the name; of the latter accusation, he said that he would not deal with such "petty nonsense."
"Is the president upset that his secretary of state didn't deny calling him a moron in his public remarks yesterday?" NBC reporter Kristen Welker asked.
"Look, as the secretary of state said, this is a petty, ridiculous accusation, and frankly, I think it's beneath the secretary of state to weigh in on every rumor out there," Sanders said.
Sanders noted spokesman Heather Nauert came out later on Wednesday and issued a denial that Tillerson had made the remark. Nauert said Tillerson "does not use that type of language."
Trump blasted the NBC News story as "fake news" from his Twitter account and demanded an apology.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/915596990674849792
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/915907150333009920
"What's your response to those who say the president has undercut the secretary of state?" Welker asked.
"I think the premise of that question is absolutely ridiculous," Sanders said. "The president can't undercut his own cabinet. The president is the leader of the cabinet. He sets the tone. He sets the agenda, and I think that question makes no sense because of that."