Breaking Dismissal of US Defense Secretary: "No Regrets About Fight with Trump" (Update)

"Trump Yes-Men Need Divine Protection" Concerns
Democrats Fear Chaos During Power Transition After Sudden Dismissal

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Mark Esper, the former U.S. Secretary of Defense who was dismissed by President Donald Trump on the 9th (local time), emphasized in an interview, "I decided to fight President Trump as Secretary of Defense," and added, "I have no regrets about my actions."

Esper made these remarks in an interview reported by Military Times on the same day, according to the congressional media outlet The Hill. The Military Times report was published after President Trump's dismissal tweet. Although the interview was conducted last week before the dismissal, Esper spoke in a firm tone as if he anticipated being removed.

Esper also mentioned, "A yes-man of (Trump) will come as my successor. We need God's blessing."

President Trump announced Esper's sudden dismissal through a tweet on the same day. Trump said, "I am pleased to announce that the very respected Christopher C. Miller, Director of the Counterterrorism Center, will become Acting Secretary of Defense," adding, "This takes effect immediately." He continued, "Mark Esper has been dismissed. I want to thank him for his service."

Previously, President Trump had also dismissed Esper's predecessor, James Mattis, via Twitter about two months before the end of his term.

Esper was reportedly the target of President Trump's anger after openly defying the deployment of troops to suppress racial protests in June and effectively banning the use of the Confederate flag within the military.

In response, U.S. media recently reported repeatedly that Esper's dismissal was imminent and that he was aware of this fact.

Despite falling into a lame-duck period after losing the presidential election, President Trump's dismissal of the Secretary of Defense, a key cabinet member, raises concerns that he may continue to exercise power until the end of his term.

The Democratic Party immediately reacted with opposition. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized, "The sudden dismissal of Secretary Esper is evidence that President Trump intends to sow chaos in American democracy and around the world until his last day in office."

Speaker Pelosi further emphasized, "Continuity and stability are important during a transition of power," stressing that President Trump should not obstruct the transfer of power to the next administration through additional personnel actions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.