The Wall Street Journal delved into President Trump and Rex Tillerson's "awkward relationship" in a report Tuesday, detailing one incident where Trump "ordered" his secretary of state to eat a Caesar salad

'Rex, Eat the Salad': Internet Feasts on Awkward Moment Between Trump and Tillerson

When news broke Tuesday morning that Rex Tillerson’s salad days at the White House were over, that was only the tip of the iceberg — or, in this case, the romaine.

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The moment came as the two men were dining in China’s Great Hall of the People in November amid Trump’s five-country tour of Asia.

After they and other U.S. officials were served wilted Caesar salads, Trump began to worry the untouched plates would offend the Chinese, people familiar with the matter told the Journal.

So Trump ordered his secretary of state: “Rex, eat the salad.”

Tillerson laughed off the remark, but the Journal noted that it served to highlight the recurring tensions between the two men.

The Journal‘s Michael Bender summed up: “When their Chinese hosts served wilted Caesar salad, Trump tried to save his own embarrassment by humiliating his secretary of state.”

Image zoom Rex Tillerson (left) and Donald Trump JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty

The internet quickly seized on the anecdote, and embraced “Rex, eat the salad” as a “new catchphrase for the Trump era.”

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“I really hope ‘Rex, eat the salad’ does not get lost in the great pantheon of Trump presidency moments,” joked one Twitter user.

” ‘Rex, eat the salad’ is the new ‘It’s the economy, stupid,’ ” said another.