According to officials, Trump was not happy with Esper’s answer. In August, per Trump’s orders, Esper promised to withdraw some of the 3,600 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the election in November but was hesitant to actually carry out the president’s orders there, also.
“We think that we can do all the core missions — first and foremost being ensured the United States is not threatened by terrorists coming out of Afghanistan — we can do those at a lower level,” Esper told Fox News.
He was also unable to fully withdraw troops from Germany, despite stating his intent to do so.
Esper, a retired Army infantry lieutenant colonel and former Army secretary, became Trump’s fourth Defense secretary in July 2019, following Trump’s withdraw of Patrick M. Shanahan’s nomination.
In a Nov. 4 interview, Esper insisted he was not a “yes man” to Trump and repeatedly disagreed with him in Cabinet meetings.
“My frustration is I sit here and say, ‘Hm, 18 Cabinet members. Who’s pushed back more than anybody?’ Name another Cabinet secretary that’s pushed back,” he said. “Have you seen me on a stage saying, ‘Under the exceptional leadership of blah-blah-blah, we have blah-blah-blah-blah?’ “ |
