The secretary of state reportedly criticized the president's intellectual capabilities July 20 during a meeting on the Islamic State with national security staffers and top Cabinet officials.
The straight-laced Pence has even spoke to Tillerson about being respectful to the president in private and public.
The President, addressing thousands of teenagers, talked about the size of the crowd, his electoral victory and his days partying in the 1980s.
The prospect of the Iran nuclear deal unfolding is one of several geopolitical risks coming to a head in October that analysts warn could upend oil markets. "Trump's foreign-policy goals break the mold of what people traditionally think is achievable", the former ExxonMobil CEO said, adding, "Our job is now to achieve results on behalf of America and we are doing that".
Another senior administration official said Tillerson's allies in cabinet, including Defense Secretary James Mattis and then-Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly begged "him to stay".
"My source didn't just say that he called him a moron", Ruhle said.
'The president speaks for himself, ' Tillerson said when asked to comment.
"Minutes after the press conference, Trump took to Twitter to announce that Tillerson had "totally refuted" the "#FakeNews" report by NBC News.
Hammond denied to NBC News, just as Tillerson did in a statement Wednesday, that Tillerson had considered resigning. He was not aware of the details surrounding Pence's meetings with Tillerson.
Tillerson and Trump appeared to disagree over the best way to resolve a Middle East crisis sparked with a bloc of nations led by Saudi Arabia cut off economic and transport links to Qatar.
As for the President, Tillerson gave no hint of any differences with Mr. Trump, something that has been widely discussed in Washington, D.C.in recent months.
Pence has "never had to persuade me" because "I have never considered leaving this post".