Donald Trump sacks Pentagon chief Mark Esper
US Secretary of State for Defense Mark Esper was sacked by Donald Trump on Monday, November 9.
AP Photo / Alex Brandon
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
US President Donald Trump announced on Monday, November 9 the dismissal of his Defense Minister Mark Esper, who will be replaced by the director of the national counter-terrorism center, Christopher Miller.
Publicity
Read more
As usual Donald Trump announced his decision on Twitter, reports our Washington correspondent
Anne Corpet
.
This is the custom established by this extraordinary president: he gets rid of his ministers by means of a social network.
He said on Twitter that Christopher Miller takes office immediately at the head of the Pentagon.
“
Chris is going to do a GREAT job!
Mark Esper is sacked.
I thank him for his work,
”US President Donald Trump tweeted unceremoniously, two days after the media announced his loss to Joe Biden in the US presidential election.
I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately ..
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2020
Two days after the announcement of his defeat to Joe Biden, the president retains all his prerogatives and intends to show it.
His relations with his defense secretary have been strained since last June.
Mark Esper had felt at that time that the troops should not be sent to stem the wave of demonstrations which rocked all the cities of the country within the framework
of the movement "Black Lives Matter"
for more racial justice.
It had infuriated the president.
Donald Trump wanted the military to take control of the situation by activating an insurgency law.
He made fun of his defense secretary publicly.
The president also did not appreciate that Mark Esper had the Confederate flag withdrawn from all military bases in the country that still hoisted this symbol of segregation.
► To read also: Period of the "lame duck": what can Trump still do before leaving the White House?
Since that date, Mark Esper's loss of influence had become palpable and he had disappeared from the screens, no longer giving interviews and giving only speeches prepared in advance.
According to the American media, Mark Esper had already written a letter of resignation for several weeks.
Christopher Miller becomes acting minister until January 20, 2021. He is technically Donald Trump's fifth Pentagon chief, after ex-Marine General Jim Mattis, Boeing engineer Patrick Shanahan and Navy chief Richard Spencer who had to take the reins briefly while awaiting Senate confirmation from Mark Esper in July 2019.
(With AFP)
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
United States
Donald trump
Defense
On the same subject
The “lame duck” period: what else can Trump do before leaving the White House?
United States: Biden actively prepares for future presidency, Trump still silent