Pelosi says Tillerson firing is because of Trump's 'worship of Putin'

Twitter reacts to President Donald Trump firing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. On Tuesday morning, Trump also announced that he plans to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Tillerson as the nation's top diplomat. Trump selected Gina Haspel - the deputy director at the CIA - to succeed Pompeo at the CIA. less Twitter reacts to President Donald Trump firing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. On Tuesday morning, Trump also announced that he plans to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace Tillerson as the nation's ... more Photo: Twitter Screen Grab Photo: Twitter Screen Grab Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close Pelosi says Tillerson firing is because of Trump's 'worship of Putin' 1 / 25 Back to Gallery

In an early morning tweet, President Donald Trump announced he fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and plans to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him as the nation's top diplomat.

The Twitterverse was quick to respond to the sudden major changes to Trump's security team and opinions on what went down were all over the map.

A prevailing theme in the tweets is that people believe Trump ousted Tillerson because the former secretary of state condemned Russia and said the country is connected to the poisoning of an ex-spy living in Britain.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi shared a statement on Twitter and said, "President Trump's actions show that every official in his Administration is at the mercy of his personal whims and his worship of Putin."

Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota wrote, "Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warns of Russian interference in our democracy and today is fired by @realDonaldTrump. Coincidence?"

A few applauded Trump's move, and @Harlan wrote, "If something doesn't work, he makes a change."

Many criticized liberals for expressing dislike for Tillerson when Trump nominated him, and now thinking he's wonderful when the President fires him.

@CollinRugg summarized this sentiment in his tweet:

Rex Tillerson gets hired by Trump.

Media: "OMG this is terrible!! Rex is awful!"

Rex Tillerson gets fired by Trump.

Media: "OMG this is terrible!! Rex is great!"

The MSM (mainly CNN) is a joke

ALSO, Trump ousts Tillerson, will replace him as secretary of state with CIA chief Pompeo

Tension between Trump and Tillerson has simmered for many months, but the president and his top diplomat reached a breaking point over the past week, officials said.

The reason for the latest rift was unclear, but Trump and Tillerson have often appeared at odds over policies such as the nuclear deal with Iran and the tone of U.S. diplomacy. A spokesman for Tillerson said the secretary of state "had every intention of staying" in his job and was "unaware of the reason" for his firing.

Tillerson cut short his trip to Africa on Monday to return to Washington. "I felt like, look, I just need to get back," he told reporters aboard his plane home. The White House, however, had told him the previous Friday he would be dismissed, according to two administration officials. The news was not conveyed in person by Trump.

Tillerson, 65, spent his career at ExxonMobil, climbing the ranks at the oil giant to become chief executive officer, where he cut deals across the Middle East and in Mexico. Having never worked in government before being named secretary of state, he struggled to adapt to Washington's ways and the administration's culture of backstabbing.

Tillerson emerged as one of the strongest voices in the administration critical of Russia. For months, he has been saying Russia clearly meddled in the 2016 U.S. election, even as Trump shied away from any critical remarks.

Trump selected Gina Haspel - the deputy director at the CIA - to succeed Pompeo at the CIA.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.