US President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announcing on Twitter that he will be replaced by CIA chief Mike Pompeo.   

"Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job!" Trump tweeted.

"Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!" he added.

The US president announced the appointment of Gina Haspel to head the Central Intelligence Agency -- the first woman tapped for the post.

Donald Trump wanted to change up his cabinet team before launching high-stakes negotiations with North Korea, a senior US official said.

"The President wanted to make sure to have his new team in place in advance of the upcoming talks with North Korea," the official said.

The reshuffle comes days after the spectacular announcement of a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose date and details have yet to be determined.