Trump’s Cabinet still unsure about defending their chief

WASHINGTON: Some seek their distance, delicately taking issue with President Donald Trump’s most controversial remarks. Others decide it’s safer to stand by him. Most would rather say nothing at all.

Under intense pressure, members of Trump’s Cabinet are struggling to walk the line between rebuking their boss and defending comments that struck even many loyal Republicans as offensive.

Though the friction has been building for months, Trump’s polarising response to white nationalism in Charlottesville was a catalyst, with fallout that has continued to dog his administration more than two weeks later.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was the latest administration member forced to take a position on Trump’s handling of Charlottesville.

The unenviable list also includes Trump’s treasury secretary, chief of the National Economic Council and defence secretary.

Tillerson, questioned in a TV interview, tried to avoid a direct response. He pivoted and emphasised the values of equality that he said he’s been pushing at the State Department.

But asked directly whether Trump represented those values, Tillerson demurred.

“The president speaks for himself, Chris,” he told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace. “I’ve spoken. I’ve made my own comments as to our values, as well, in a speech I gave.”

By the next morning, there were dramatic reports suggesting Tillerson’s job was on the line – some speculating he was on thin ice with Trump, others suggesting Tillerson was ready to quit.

And despite murmurings from Trump associates that the president was irked by the exchange, the White House defended Tillerson late Monday, calling him “a trusted and highly valued member” of Trump’s team.

Within Trump’s team, other top officials have navigated the delicate situation differently, and with varying outcomes.

Gary Cohn, Trump’s top economic adviser sharply criticised the administration’s response to the racial violence in Charlottesville, saying in a Financial Times interview that they “can and must do better”.

The public rebuke from Cohn, however, frustrated Trump, said a person close to the White House, who demanded anonymity.