(VOVWORLD) - US President Donald Trump has sacked Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, citing differences, and replaced him with Mike Pompeo, CIA director.
 Rex Tillerson has been sacked as US Secretary of State (Photo: AFP/Getty Image) |
The move by Trump is the biggest shake-up of his cabinet since taking office.
"Mike Pompeo, director of the CIA, will become our new secretary of state. He will do a fantastic job," Trump tweeted on Tuesday.
"Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!"
According to the Washington Post, Trump asked Tillerson to leave the post last Friday.
Tillerson cut short his trip to Africa on Monday and returned to Washington, DC, prompting questions about his future at the State Department.
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump said that "a great deal has been accomplished over the last 14 months" with Tillerson as top US diplomat.
Trump also said on Twitter that Gina Hapsel, CIA deputy director, will replace Pompeo as the head of the agency. He added that she is "the first woman so chosen".