When Donald Trump first hired Wilbur Ross, he delighted in describing the 80-year-old investment mogul as a “killer.” “Wilbur is so famous on Wall Street he only needs one name,” the president reportedly bragged in a meeting during those first tender months. “You don’t even need to say his last name; you just say Wilbur and they know who you’re talking about.” Ross, too, took to his second act in the White House with verve, ordering a pair of $500 custom-made velvet slippers sporting the Commerce Department logo and counting himself among the president’s favorite non-“poor people.”

But Ross’s fortunes have since taken a turn, with Forbes calling his billionaire status into question, and his stake in a Russian shipping company with ties to Vladimir Putin surfacing at the worst possible time. All this—along with what one source said is his unfortunate tendency to fall asleep in meetings (and to mop the resulting drool up with his tie)— has reportedly caused the president to sour on the man he was once so thrilled to employ.

According to Axios, Trump has taken to “humiliat[ing] Ross in front of his colleagues,” questioning his commerce secretary’s “ intelligence and competence.” The president has not been impressed with Ross’s “killer” instincts when it comes to negotiating with America’s trading partners, at one point reportedly telling him, “These trade deals, they’re terrible. Your understanding of trade is terrible. Your deals are no good. No good.” At that point the ex-real-estate developer, who has known the commerce secretary since the 80s, reportedly told Ross he “didn’t trust him to negotiate anymore,” and tasked U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer with leading negotiations instead. “Wilbur has lost his step. Actually, he’s probably lost a lot of steps,” Trump reportedly lamented.

While a source close to Trump noted that “Wilbur’s been sucking up for months, trying to get back in the president’s good graces,” others who spoke to Jonathan Swan say Trump will “never again trust the 80-year-old to be his . . . negotiator.” According to the White House, of course, this is all a bunch of fake news. “Secretary Ross is leading the administration’s approach on steel, aluminum, intellectual property, and trade,” Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary Raj Shah said in a statement. “Far from souring on his performance, since taking office, the President has expanded his responsibilities.”