President Donald Trump’s meeting with the Pentagon on July 20, 2017 reportedly escalated tensions between the President and his staff. Reportedly, after that session, Rex Tillerson, President Trump’s appointed Secretary of State, called the President a “moron” in a private conversation, a comment that was first reported by NBC before the rumor later spread around. Comments such as these have driven some to believe that President Trump is considering firing Tillerson from his Secretary of State position, or that Tillerson is considering resigning.

Tillerson refuses to confirm or deny these allegations of his comment.

“I call the president ‘Mr. President,’” Tillerson said. “At the end of the day, he makes decisions. I go out and try to implement those decisions.”

Tillerson issued this statement when CNN when asked whether the reported comment actually occurred.

CNN host Jake Tapper asked again, making a point to say that the question of whether the secretary of state has respect for the president was very serious and that it was serious if the comment was made, especially since officials say that he did, and implored Tillerson to say that he didn’t make the comment.

“Jake, as I indicated earlier when I was asked about that, I’m not going to deal with that kind of petty stuff,” Tillerson said. “I mean, this is a town that seems to relish in gossip, rumor and innuendo. They feed on it in a very destructive way.”

Thus, he refused to confirm or deny the allegations, fueling the rumor that he in fact did.

“I don’t work that way and I don’t feel that way,” Tillerson said.

Meanwhile, the spokeswoman for the State Department, Heather Nauert, denied the allegations, saying that Tillerson has never called the President a “moron.” The secretary also says the Secretary of State is committed to implementing the president’s decisions, backing up his earlier statement to CNN.

“I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,” President Trump said. “Save your energy, Rex. We’ll do what needs to be done!”

This statement, which was tweeted by President Trump, have led many to suspect that Tillerson and the president are feuding, especially when paired with the “moron” allegations. The fear lies within the belief that the relationship President Trump and his Secretary of State has been undermined. Tillerson, however, disagrees.

“I checked,” Tillerson said. “I’m fully intact.”