Trump Discusses Replacing Esper as Defense Secretary After November Election

Major Media and Sources Report
Esper Faces Backlash Over Consecutive Defiant Remarks

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Reports have emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump secretly discussed with his aides the possibility of replacing Defense Secretary Mark Esper after the November election.

A major foreign news outlet cited anonymous sources on the 12th (local time) reporting this, but added that President Trump does not intend to replace Secretary Esper before the November election.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere also said, "There is nothing to announce, and it is not appropriate to speculate about changes after the election or during a second term."

Secretary Esper has recently shown actions that contradict President Trump's stance, raising the possibility of his replacement.

In June, he publicly opposed the deployment of the military to suppress anti-racism protests, which President Trump had threatened to do, and last month, he effectively banned the official use of the Confederate flag within the military, which President Trump had publicly supported.