CNN panel: Trump dumped Tillerson because he 'never got over being called a moron'

Taking up the multitude of reasons why President Donald Trump fired yet another high-ranking Administration official, a CNN panel unanimously agreed that now ex-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's head has been on the chopping block after her reportedly called the president a "moron" in a Pentagon meeting last year.

Speaking with host Briana Keilar, CNN Global Affairs Correspondent Elise Labott smirked after fellow CNN regular Chris Cillizza explained his view of the Trump-Tillerson dynamic.

"No one saw Rex Tillerson coming, so there is all of that," Cillizza explained. "I think the actual reality of Rex Tillerson was more difficult for Donald Trump because Rex Tillerson had been a titan of industry. It was someone who thought he had more of a leash than Donald Trump wanted him to have. I think this is a moving back toward what we know about Donald Trump, which is he likes people who say nice things about him, and who largely do his bidding."

"You know what is not a nice a thing to say about someone is to call them a moron, right?" Keilar laughed. "So that, to me, is, well -- he didn't deny it, right? So the story breaks months ago. he basically confirms it and so which begs the question, Elise: If Rex Tillerson had not called the president a moron, would he have kept his job, do you think? Do you think it comes down as simply to one word? "

"I think that the president never got over that," Labott replied.

"How can any president tolerate that? How can this president?" Keilar asked.

"He can't tolerate that and it is clear he never got over it," Labott explained. "There is a long litany of issues where they did not agree, where essentially where he's come out and said that he disagreed with the president. Our understanding is in national security council meetings, he was dismissive of the president. It was not working, and I think that the secretary knew it wasn't working."

"Do you agree, the moron, what do you think?" Keilar asked retired Admiral John Kirby.

"I think that was certainly a big nail in the coffin," he said while chuckling. "I don't think it was the final nail, but it set him back in ways that i don't think it would have otherwise. his policy differences, if he hadn't said that."

Watch the video below via CNN: