President Donald Trump’s national security advisor H.R. McMaster reportedly called the president an ‘idiot’ with a kindergartener’s intelligence at a dinner, according to a report.
McMaster made the comments during a July dinner with Oracle CEO Safra Catz, BuzzFeed reported.
According to the report, which cited five anonymous sources, McMaster, a three star Marine General, called Trump a ‘dope,’ as well as an ‘idiot’ with the intelligence of a ‘Kindergartener.’
Four of the sources said they heard about it from Catz after the event.
President Donald Trump’s national security advisor H.R. McMaster reportedly called the president an ‘idiot,’ though the NSC denies it
National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton denied the report on the record.
‘Actual participants in the dinner deny that General McMaster made any of the comments attributed to him by anonymous sources. Those false comments represent the diametric opposite of General McMaster’s actual views,’ Anton said.
The report has parallels to an NBC report this summer that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told participants at a Pentagon meeting that Trump is a ‘moron.’
Tillerson furiously pushed back at the news but never specifically denied having called the president a moron.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks as (2nd L to R) PayPal co-founder and Facebook board member Peter Thiel, Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook and Oracle CEO Safra Catz look on during a meeting with technology leaders at Trump Tower in New York U.S., December 14, 2016
McMaster also reportedly spoke dismissively of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Trump son in law Jared Kushner
THEY LOOK PRETTY SMART: According to the report, McMaster said at the private dinner that Trump had the intelligence of a Kindergartener.
Safra Catz, co-chief executive officer of Oracle Corp., right, speaks as Julie Sweet, chief executive officer of North America at Accenture PLC, center, and Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Treasury secretary, listen during the American Technology Council roundtable hosted at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, June 19, 2017
A source told the publication Catz considered the comment highly inappropriate.
‘[Catz] said the conversation was so inappropriate that it was jaw-dropping,’ said the source.
Catz served on Trump’s transition team and was born in Israel.
After the NBC report about Tillerson’s purported ‘moron’ comment, Trump told Forbes: ”I think it’s fake news, but if he did that, I guess we’ll have to compare IQ tests. And I can tell you who is going to win.’
With reports of his top subordinates questioning his intellect, Trump has repeatedly backed up his own smarts. ‘I’m smart,’ he said in October. ‘I’m a very intelligent person.’
Catz has been mentioned as a possible Trump appointee. She joined other top tech leaders in meeting with Trump weeks before he took office.
The report said McMaster made the comments at an Italian restaurant in Washington. Another attendee, Oracle lobbyist Ken Glueck, also denied the report, saying ‘none of the statements attributed to General McMaster were said.’
Others coming in for criticism reportedly included former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon, who famously fought a back-stage influence battle with McMaster before his own departure from the White House.
McMaster also reportedly went after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and Trump son in law Jared Kushner.