Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insisted Wednesday that he is not planning to quit, rebutting weeks of reports of policy disputes and personal clashes with the White House.

“I have never considered leaving this post,” Tillerson said at an extraordinary and hastily called news conference at the State Department.

Tillerson did not directly respond to an NBC News report earlier Wednesday that he had referred to President Trump as a “moron.”

“I’m not going to deal with petty points like that,” Tillerson said, adding that he does not understand what he called a Washington impulse to “sow dissension” and undermine the administration’s work.

He called Trump “smart” and committed to American security and the accountability of those around him.