Trump May Replace Defense Secretary Mark Esper After Election: Report
President Donald Trump is weighing the possibility of replacing Defense Secretary Mark Esper, according to a Reuters report published Wednesday.
An anonymous source in the administration told Reuters that the two men were “not in a good place," and that Trump would not make a decision on Esper until after the November election.
Esper reportedly angered Trump in June, after he stated his opposition to invoking the Insurrection Act to quell the protests after the death of George Floyd. The Act would allow Trump to deploy troops to U.S. cities as a response to the civil unrest.
The two men are also at odds over the Confederate flag at military bases. Esper unveiled guidance last month effectively banning the flag at military installations. Trump has defended the flag and said it is not racist.
“When people proudly have their Confederate flags, they’re not talking about racism,” Trump told Fox News in a July. “They love their flag. It represents the South, they like the South.”
In addition, the two men have clashed over a recent blast in Beirut, Lebanon, that left at least 200 people dead. Trump had claimed the explosion was an “attack,” citing briefings from “generals.” The following day, Esper said the blast was likely an accident.
Esper, 58, began his tenure as secretary of defense in July 2019, and previously served as the U.S. secretary of the army from 2017 to 2019. A West Point graduate, he also worked for defense contractor Raytheon and the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank.
Esper’s predecessor, Jim Mattis, left the Defense Secretary position in January 2019. Mattis had expressed disagreement with Trump’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.
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