Defense
REUTERS/Bullit Marquez/Pool
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures with both hands as he talks about his 12-day Asian tour that brought him to five countries in Asia, with the final stop in the Philippines for 31st ASEAN Summit Tuesday, November 14, 2017 in Manila, Philippines. At left is National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and at right is State Secretary Rex Tillerson.
- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster reportedly have "personality tensions" and the two are locked in a "death struggle."
- The two are reportedly trying to force each other out of President Donald Trump's administration.
- Both McMaster and Tillerson appear to have been sidelined by Trump.
Two of President Donald Trump's top advisers on foreign policy and national security are reportedly trying to force each other out of the administration.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster have "personality tensions" and the two are locked in a "death struggle," sources tell Politico's Susan B. Glasser in an essay on Trump's foreign policy.
"It's a snake pit," a senior Republican told Glasser. "There are personality tensions between the president and Tillerson, between the president and McMaster, between McMaster and Tillerson. It's broken and it's going to have to be fixed one way or another. It can't go on like this."
Glasser reports that the two men are now "fundamentally at odds." McMaster reportedly grew resentful of Tillerson for going around interagency norms and setting up a standing meeting with
"McMaster and Tillerson are in a death struggle," an outside adviser told Glasser, "each of them trying to get rid of the other."
Notably, both McMaster and Tillerson appear to have been sidelined by Trump.
Multiple rumors have popped up that Tillerson was either leaving his post or being pushed out by the White House. McMaster has also been targeted by forces outside the administration, although pressure for him to leave seems to have lessened recently.