Donald Trump on the verge of firing Rex Tillerson

It has been reported that the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is on the verge of being fired from the Trump administration.

The New York Times is one of several outlets that has reported on Tillerson's expected departure, which could come in the next seven days.

Tillerson and Trump are thought to have had a mixed relationship, with the former constantly remaining loyal to the president despite reports of his exit for some time.

Trump was seen to be undermining Tillerson's diplomatic efforts with North Korea when the president tweeted that he was "wasting his time".

And Tillerson was forced to defend himself when it was reported that he had called Trump a "f*****g moron."

It is thought that CIA chief Mike Pompeo is being groomed as Tillerson's replacement.

Asked in shouted questions at the White House, Trump ducked questions about his top diplomat.

When a reporter asked if he wanted Tillerson "on the job", Trump replied, "he's here, Rex is here."

Trump has shown reluctance to fire people in the past and instead opted for individuals to resign, but it isn't known if Tillerson will be given that opportunity or not.

Should Tillerson be removed from his position, he would join a long list of officials to have departed Trump's administration throughout the presidency.

When Trump first suggested Tillerson as secretary of state in December 2016, he described the former ExxonMobil boss as "one of the truly great business leaders of the world" and someone with "vast experience at dealing successfully with all types of foreign governments".