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- Current U.S. President Donald Trump has “terminated” Defence Secretary Mark Esper, just days after Joe Biden secured the U.S. election
- President Trump is replacing Esper with Director of the National Counterterrorism Centre Christopher C. Miller
- Miller will be the third Defence Secretary appointed by Trump, after his first pick, Jim Mattis, left the role early last year
- Reports suggest Esper and Trump clashed over the use of military force to manage the recent bout of protests across the U.S.
- The late-stage Cabinet shake-up arrives as the Trump campaign continues to contest last week’s election results
Current U.S. President Donald Trump has “terminated” Defence Secretary Mark Esper, just days after Joe Biden secured the U.S. election.
In a surprising move, President Trump is replacing Esper with Director of the National Counterterrorism Centre Christopher C. Miller.
Miller will be the third Defence Secretary appointed by Trump, after his first pick, Jim Mattis, left the role early last year.
Commenting only briefly on the Cabinet shake-up, Trump took to twitter to announce Esper’s replacement and to “thank him for his service.”
…Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2020
Reports suggest Esper and Trump clashed over the use of military troops to manage the slew of protests that have erupted across the U.S. in recent months.
Notably, Esper vocally opposed the use of military intervention to quell the civil unrest in Washington D.C. last summer. His conflict with Trump on the topic was well known, and his replacement was expected if Trump had secured a second term in office.
Nevertheless, few were expecting a key member of the President’s staff to be replaced so soon before incoming President Elect Biden selects his own Cabinet.
The late-stage staffing shake-up arrives as the President continues to contest last week’s election results.
In an attempt to invalidate the results, the Trump campaign has now filed lawsuits in a number of key election states, claiming as-yet unsubstantiated voter fraud.
As yet, Trump’s motivation for switching out Defence Secretaries so close to a presidential handover remains unclear.
