Charlottesville: President Trump unusually silent over criticism from Tillerson, Cohn

by Adedotun Michael

 

President Donald Trump might seem disappointed with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, for publicly criticizing his response to violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. But, he has done little or nothing to react to situation, Politico reports.

The rare direct criticism from a Cabinet secretary and senior administration official seems to have no weighing influence in the controversy ravaged Trump’s White House.

When asked over the weekend whether Trump represented American values with his comments, Tillerson gave a direct response, “The president speaks for himself.” And when also asked whether he was separating himself from the president’s comments, he referred to a speech he gave at the State Department denouncing hate.

Last week, Cohn had said, “the president could do better, came after several days of weighing whether to leave his position, including writing draft resignation letters”.

Though, Tillerson and Cohn’s berating of Trump’s comments was uncalled for, they were not nearly as sharp as some other criticisms of the president, who publicly ranted for days on how to respond to neo-Nazis and white supremacists who protested in the streets of Charlottesville and clashed with opposition protesters.

An editor of National Review, Rich Lowry said, “still, in the normal course of things, a secretary of state would be fired an hour after saying such a thing on national TV.”

An adviser said, “The president, whose approval ratings have swiped down greatly and who has lost a raft of senior staff members, is loath to get rid of anyone right now”.

Another close source said, “Trump notes that he needs Cohn and Tillerson, seen as stabilizing forces in his administration, more than they need him at this point”.

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