Trump says Tillerson is "here" as he meets with Crown Prince of Bahrain
President Trump largely ignored questions about Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's future Thursday, as he held a photo-op with the Crown Prince of Bahrain Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa at the White House on Thursday.
The Crown Prince has already met with members of Mr. Trump's cabinet this week in Washington, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Mr. Trump's military chief, Secretary of Defense James Mattis. The president said the two countries have had a long relationship, calling the prince a great friend.
But Mr. Trump largely ignored shouted questions, after a report today by the New York Times that the White House has a plan to oust Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and replace him with Mike Pompeo, the director of the CIA, within the next several weeks. Asked whether he wants to keep Tillerson, Mr. Trump simply said Tillerson is "here," as Tillerson was in the building, as scheduled, for a meeting with the Crown Prince.
"He's here, Rex is here," Mr. Trump responded.
The White House has not detailed what the two leaders will speak about during their meeting.
Mr. Trump previously met with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa during the his overseas visit to the Middle East and Saudi Arabia in May.