Trump dramatically FIRES Rex Tillerson on Twitter without telling him personally

President Donald Trump fired his secretary of state on Tuesday without telling him personally, announcing on Twitter that he would dismiss Rex Tillerson and elevate the nation's spymaster to the role of global diplomat-in-chief.

And he said he will appoint a woman to lead the CIA for the first time in history.

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Steven Goldstein said in a statement that Tillerson 'had every intention of staying.'

'The Secretary did not speak to the President and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve,' Goldstein added.

Despite the awkwardness of the moment for Tillerson, the president took the public spotlight for himself.

As he left the White House for a trip to California, Trump told reporters that he and Tillerson had been 'talking about this for a long time' but that he 'made the decision by myself.'

'We disagreed on things,' Trump said, citing the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran.