Tillerson shows up to Trump speech after White House says he has other plans

The White House communication department on Monday had worked quickly to put out a statement explaining why Secretary of State Rex Tillerson would be skipping a major foreign policy speech by President Donald Trump.

Trump on Monday was scheduled to speak to the National Press Club about his foreign policy strategy. In an interview on Monday, Ivanka Trump called the speech "yet another amazing milestone for this presidency."

“Normally, the president himself does not share the principles of the national security strategy,” Ivanka Trump told Fox News.

In a statement released on Monday, the White House said that Tillerson had other plans.

"The Secretary had a previously scheduled event during this time," the statement said. "His deputy will be at the speech and the Secretary will be at the White House later today for meeting with the President."

The statement, however, did not reveal any details about Tillerson's "previously scheduled event."

But the secretary of state ended up being present at the speech, although he arrived late.

(Note: This article has been updated.)