Rex Tillerson makes rare public appearance in Houston

Former U.S. Secretary of State and ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson at the January 2007 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Tillerson broke months of silence at a Thursday evening event in Houston where he spoke about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections, working with President Donald Trump and other issues. less Former U.S. Secretary of State and ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson at the January 2007 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Tillerson broke months of silence at a Thursday evening event in Houston where he ... more Photo: MICHAEL PROBST, STF / AP Photo: MICHAEL PROBST, STF / AP Image 1 of / 56 Caption Close Rex Tillerson makes rare public appearance in Houston 1 / 56 Back to Gallery

Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. elections, former Secretary of State and Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson said during a Thursday evening visit to Houston.

Making his first public appearance in nearly nine months, Tillerson spoke at a fundraiser for the MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he participated in a conversation with CBS News veteran Bob Schieffer.

When asked if he believes that Russia interfered in the presidential elections, Tillerson replied “there's no question” and that it was well-documented by intelligence agencies.

“What Russia wants to do is undermine our confidence and undermine the world’s confidence in us,” Tillerson said.

Describing Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “very calculating” and “very opportunistic” leader, Tillerson said Putin’s strategy is to undermine the U.S. influence around the globe.

NO HAPPY ENDINGS: What's next for Rex Tillerson?

“Many people talk about playing chess. He plays three-dimensional chess,” Tillerson said.

More Information Rex Wayne Tillerson Born: March 23, 1952 Education: University of Texas at Austin (Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering 1975) ExxonMobil CEO January 1, 2006 - December 31, 2016 U.S. Secretary of State February 1, 2017 — March 13, 2018 Source: Houston Chronicle Research

A native of Wichita Falls, Tillerson earned a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1975 just before joining Exxon as a production engineer. Tillerson rose through the ranks and become CEO of Exxon Mobil in January 2006.

Tillerson is not likely to return to the oil and gas industry. Under an exit deal with Exxon Mobil to become secretary of state, Tillerson received an estimated $180 million. He would have to forfeit that money, however, if he returns to the industry before January 2027.

Shortly after leaving the State Department, the University of Texas Board of Regents approached Tillerson about becoming UT System chancellor. The details of those discussions were not made public, but City University of New York Chancellor James Milliken was appointed to the post in August.

When asked about his federal service, Tillerson told the crowd Thursday that he had never actually met Trump until he was invited by Vice President Mike Pence to a meeting that ended with him being asked to become secretary of state.

The honeymoon didn't last long, Tillerson said. The relationship between him and Trump became strained after the president grew tired of the former Exxon Mobil CEO telling him that he could not do things the way he wanted.

Tillerson said the two had starkly different styles and did not share a common value system.

"So often, the president would say here's what I want to do and here's how I want to do it and I would have to say to him, Mr. President I understand what you want to do but you can't do it that way. It violates the law," Tillerson said.

Trump would get very frustrated when they would have those conversations, he said.

"I'd say here's what we can do," Tillerson said. "We can go back to Congress and get this law changed. And if that's what you want to do, there's nothing wrong with that. I told him I'm ready to go up there and fight the fight, if that's what you want to do."

Tillerson said Trump rose to power by tapping into something that the American people felt very strong about and using the tools of the day such as Twitter to do it.

"I will be honest with you, it troubles me that the American people seem to want to know so little about issues, that they are satisfied with a 128 characters," Tillerson told Schieffer.

Tillerson voiced those concerns even further in his conversation.

"I don't want that to come across as a criticism of him," Tillerson said. "It's really a concern that I have about us as Americans and us as a society and us as citizens."

The event also included a tribute to late President George H.W. Bush, who was laid to rest in College Station earlier in the day.

"George Herbert Walker Bush was in many ways the founder of the 21st century." Tillerson said. "So many of the events that were under his watch, like the peaceful dissolution of the Cold War, really set the stage for this century that we now live in. Some for the good and some issues that are still playing out."

sergio.chapa@chron.com