This was unexpected.
In a new interview with CNN, Donald Trump’s former Defense Secretary Mark Esper flipped on the former president and said that he does not support Trump and believes that he should not win the presidency again in 2024.
According to Raw Story, Esper suggested that Trump was America’s enemy and said that he believes Trump should not be president again because he does not “put country first.”
CNN’s Brianna Keilar asked, “You served during a tumultuous time in the Trump administration, you were fired in November, November 9th of 2020. As you’re watching these January 6th hearings, what are you thinking?”
Esper responded, “Well, I wish I was able to see more of them, but like many Americans, I found myself stuck on airplanes or airports. Each hearing, as I read in the paper, the facts are startling. I’ve been saying, shocking but not surprising. It’s an important service they were providing to recount what happened on January 6th and the days and weeks leading up to it. It’s important for us to understand our history, and that there be accountability.”
Keilar then asked, “You’ve said you won’t vote for him again, you’ve urged others not to. What’s your biggest worry about what happens if President Trump is elected again?”
Esper responded, “Well, no, I won’t support him. I’ve argued to my Republican colleagues that you can find the same type of conservative, traditional Republican policies but without — without all of the baggage, the coarseness and everything else because we need a Republican leader that cannot just unite the party but unite the country. My concern about Donald Trump trying to run for office again is he doesn’t put country first and that’s a problem for me, a major problem. I think he has to put country first, leaders need to lead and bring people together and he just doesn’t have that capability.”