US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has disputed what he called "erroneous" reports that he considered resigning as President Donald Trump's top diplomat amid reports he had called the President a "moron".

Key points: NBC reported Tillerson called Trump a "moron" in a meeting of cabinet officials

NBC reported Tillerson called Trump a "moron" in a meeting of cabinet officials Tillerson sidestepped issue at hastily organised news conference

Tillerson sidestepped issue at hastily organised news conference Report also said VP Mike Pence had to step in to urge Tillerson to stay

After pointedly refusing to answer if he called Mr Trump a "moron," Mr Tillerson had a spokeswoman deny he used such language.

"The Secretary … does not use that language to speak about anyone. He did not say that," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

Mr Tillerson, whose tenure has been dogged with rumours about unhappiness with Mr Trump's policies and rhetoric, said he was, "as committed to Mr Trump's agenda today as he was when he accepted the offer to serve as Secretary of State".

The episode is the latest controversy to embroil Mr Trump's administration which has witnessed a string of high-profile departures and firings in recent months, including his chief of staff, national security adviser and the former FBI director.

NBC reported that in a session with Mr Trump's national security team and Cabinet officials at the Pentagon, Mr Tillerson had openly criticised the President and referred to him as a "moron", citing three officials familiar with the incident.

Mr Tillerson sidestepped the issue when taking questions after making a statement at a hastily organised news conference.

"I'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that," he said.

"I'm not from this place [Washington], but the places I come from we don't deal with that kind of petty nonsense."

Mr Tillerson spoke after NBC reported Vice-President Mike Pence and other top officials had intervened to persuade him not to resign this summer as tensions rose between him and Mr Trump.

"The Vice-President has never had to persuade me to remain as Secretary of State because I have never considered leaving this post," Mr Tillerson said.

Ms Nauert said Mr Tillerson and Mr Trump had spoken later on Wednesday and that it was a "good conversation".

Mr Tillerson did not offer an apology to Mr Trump because "one was not needed".

Mr Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon and former president of the Boy Scouts, said of Mr Trump: "He's smart. He demands results."

Mr Trump later told reporters in Las Vegas: "I'm very honoured by his comments. It was fake news, it was a totally phony story.

"It was made up by NBC. They just made it up … Total confidence in Rex. I have total confidence."

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NBC News stood by its initial reports.

"NBC will not be issuing an apology to America as the President is calling for because again … the Secretary did not refute directly some of the key points [in the story], Anchor Hallie Jackson said on air.

Several NBC journalists who reported the story also stood by their piece, saying on MSNBC their reporting was true.

Administration tensions over North Korea

Mr Trump had appeared to undercut Mr Tillerson over the weekend when the President tweeted that he told him he was "wasting his time" trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

Mr Tillerson offered a vigorous defence of both the US President and his foreign policy even though the White House and State Department have at times appeared to differ on policy.

"President Trump's foreign policy goals break the mould of what people traditionally think is achievable on behalf of our country," Mr Tillerson said.

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has played down any tensions between Mr Trump and Mr Tillerson over their apparent split, most recently over North Korea.

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Some administration officials have privately described Mr Tillerson as chafing against some of the President's pronouncements and off-the-cuff decisions, sometimes contrary to advice from senior advisers.

One US official said the view of many within the administration was that despite Mr Tillerson's denial of having contemplated resignation, "It's only a matter of time" before he does consider it.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was no reason to believe Mr Trump would give up his habit of publicly contradicting Mr Tillerson and that each time speculation on his future would resurface.

Mr Tillerson has often found himself at odds with the President on a range of issues, according to current and former US officials and media reports.

He has taken a more hawkish view on Russia and tried to mediate a dispute among key US Middle East allies after four Arab nations boycotted Qatar over its alleged extremist ties.

Mr Tillerson also appeared to distance himself from Mr Trump's response to violence in Charlottesville, Virginia this summer, saying at the time: "The President speaks for himself."

AP/Reuters