Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Rex Tillerson Just Gave a Speech Warning of Dishonest Leadership and Everyone Thinks He's Talking About Trump

Rex Tillerson Just Gave a Speech Warning of Dishonest Leadership and Everyone Thinks He's Talking About Trump
May 16, 2018: Rex Tillerson speaks at Virginia Military Institute commencement. (NBC News)

Because he is.

"As I reflect upon the state of our American democracy, I observe a growing crisis in ethics and integrity."


If our leaders seek to conceal the truth, or we as people become accepting of alternative realities that are no longer grounded in facts, then we as American citizens are on a pathway to relinquishing our freedom."

So stated former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during his commencement address at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) on Wednesday. He further stated:

"A responsibility of every American citizen to each other is to preserve and protect our freedom by recognizing what truth is and is not, what a fact is and is not and begin by holding ourselves accountable to truthfulness and demand our pursuit of America's future be fact-based -- not based on wishful thinking, not hoped-for outcomes made in shallow promises, but with a clear-eyed view of the facts as they are, and guided by the truth that will set us free to seek solutions to our most daunting challenges."

The former oil industry executive served as head of the U.S. State Department under President Donald Trump from his confirmation on February 1, 2017 until fired by Trump on March 13, 2018. March 31 was his last day in office.

Tillerson never spoke of any American leaders in particular, but he did invoke the names of several countries his former boss speaks highly of: China and Russia.

"When we as people, a free people, go wobbly on the truth, even on what may see the most trivial of matters, we go wobbly on America," he continued.

Tillerson also warned of the death of American democracy.

If we do not as Americans confront the crisis of ethics and integrity in our society and among our leaders in both private and public sector, and regrettably at times even the nonprofit sector, then American democracy as we know it is entering its twilight years."

"An essential tenant of a free society, a free people, is access to the truth. A government structure and a societal understanding that freedom to seek the truth is the very essence of freedom itself. You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

While never invoking the president's name in his speech, few think he was referring to anyone else. Trump's presidency remains mired in accusations of dishonesty. His own spokesperson, Kellyanne Conway, called the president's statements "alternate facts".

This isn't the first time Tillerson spoke on integrity or a lack thereof. In his brief remarks before leaving the State Department, he said:

"Never lose sight of your most valuable asset, the most valuable asset you possess: your personal integrity. This can be a very mean-spirited town. But you don't have to choose to participate in that."

Twitter immediately took notice of Tillerson's speech.

But some in the press corps who covered the State Department during his tenure are calling out Tillerson's own integrity.

More from People/donald-trump

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less