Wow... I'm sensing quite a note of hostility in your reply, right out of the gate! Not sure why?

Is it maybe because you're a huge fan of Trump, and think I might be saying something bad about him?

If so, what I'm saying is that I was under the STRONG impression the Secretary of State reports directly to the President of the United States!

I think history will back me up on that one, no?

Essentially, it's one of the most important and vital positions in the President's hand picked and trusted cabinet members, isn't it?

It's an appointed and not elected position, in which the only person on top of them in the hiearchy is the President himself.

Thus, the President is their direct boss!

The President sets the tone, culture and policies.

No President is ever going to agree totally with their cabinet, so if the cabinet does something the President does not want, then you can be sure the President will intervene.

And of course, different Presidents have different styles in terms of who they select to be on the cabinet as their close advisors.

Some Presidents prefer to have cabinet members that are proverbially "yes men" and mostly just follow orders. That's just their style. They like to have total control and command.

Other Presidents prefer cabinet members that will take opposing view points, and strongly argue for different options in different scenarios, with a high rate of intelligence, so the President can consider alternatives, or at least glimpse insights into how the opposition is thinking.

Other Presidents don't seem to give a flying f'ck who they appoint, and just do so as political payback for past favors!

But all in all... however they are picked and selected... in the end, the cabinet reports to the President.

SO... As for how this relates to Trump, I'm honestly actually not quite sure!

Personally I don't like the man. But that's fine: it's a free country. I don't have to like somebody do I?

Whether I like him or not, however, I believe he was mostly elected fair and square. No election is ever going to be perfect, so you can always find problems with any selection.

So he's the President.

Doesn't mean I have to like him.

Anyways, since I don't like him, I haven't paid much attention to him, since he took office. I kinda tune him out for the most part, and pay no attention to him, except every now and then.

So I'm not fully sure about his current relations with his cabinet, and what kind of cabinet members he picks?

I mean does he tend to pick yes-men, or does he pick those that he knows will challenge him, or political favors, or whatever...

I mean you probably know better than I do, based on his personality what type of cabinet member he would be inclined to pick?

But again...

ultimately in the end, ALL presidents will at some point disagree with cabinet, and have to tell their cabinet "No. You can't do that."

Because in the end, it was the President that was elected to run the nation. Not the Secretary of State.