Pres. Trump axes Secretary of Defense Mark Esper

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Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper - ALEX BRANDON/ASSOCIATED PRESS

President Donald Trump fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Monday.  Their relationship reportedly cooled over the last few months. The president announced his decision in a tweet.

“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,” said Trump.

“Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service,” Trump added.

Esper locked horns with Trump on multiple issues, including the usage of federal troops to quell protests throughout the summer and renaming U.S. military bases named after former Confederate leaders.

Critics of the move have raised concerns that Trump will continue to fire administration officials ahead of the Biden administration’s plans to take the reigns of the U.S. government in January. It is unknown at this point in time whether more terminations are planned for officials within the Trump administration.