{"id":1469745,"date":"2022-05-10T08:14:55","date_gmt":"2022-05-10T12:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1469745"},"modified":"2022-05-10T08:14:58","modified_gmt":"2022-05-10T12:14:58","slug":"trump-fires-back-at-lightweight-former-defense-secretary-mark-esper-i-had-to-run-the-military-myself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-fires-back-at-lightweight-former-defense-secretary-mark-esper-i-had-to-run-the-military-myself\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Fires Back at \u201cLightweight\u201d Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper: \u201cI Had to Run the Military Myself\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-fires-back-at-lightweight-former-defense-secretary-mark-esper-i-had-to-run-the-military-myself%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1469745&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p>Donald Trump absolutely unloaded on his former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper over claims made in an upcoming memoir, referring to Esper as a \u201clightweight\u201d and \u201cRINO.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump answered a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/60Minutes\/status\/1523442122921156608\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series of questions<\/a> for comment from \u201c60 Minutes\u201d correspondent Norah O\u2019Donnell regarding several claims made by Esper in his book.<\/p>\n<p>As The Political Insider reported, Esper has claimed that the former President inquired on at least two occasions about <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/claim-trump-secretly-wanted-to-bomb-drug-labs-in-mexico\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">secretly bombing<\/a> illegal cartel drug labs in Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>He reiterated that claim in his own \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/donald-trump-mark-esper-a-sacred-oath-60-minutes-2022-05-08\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">60 Minutes\u201d interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe president pulls me aside on at least a couple of occasions and suggests that maybe we have the U.S. military shoot missiles into Mexico,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Esper went on to reiterate other claims, including that Trump openly wondered about shooting protesters outside the White House and that he called Cabinet members \u2013 including then-Vice President Mike Pence \u2013 \u201cf***ing losers.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Mark Esper says that Cabinet members had to keep Trump from doing \u201cbad things, terrible things\u201d that would have taken the country in a \u201cdark direction.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NOetdrsrpl\">pic.twitter.com\/NOetdrsrpl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ron Filipkowski \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@RonFilipkowski) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RonFilipkowski\/status\/1523442270850392064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 8, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/claim-trump-secretly-wanted-to-bomb-drug-labs-in-mexico\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Claim: Trump Secretly Wanted To Bomb Cartel Drug Labs In Mexico<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Trump Slams \u2018Weak and Ineffective\u2019 Mark Esper<\/h3>\n<div id=\"subscribe\" class=\"email-signup inarticle\">\n<h4>Support Conservative Voices!<\/h4>\n<h5><strong>Sign up to receive the latest<\/strong> political news, insight, and commentary delivered directly to your inbox.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Responding to a request for comment from O\u2019Donnell, Trump hammered Mark Esper, oftentimes referring to him by a derogatory nickname, \u201cYesper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Esper told O\u2019Donnell that the former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_mF4dCiHPF8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">calls him that<\/a> with the \u201cinsinuation \u2026 that I was a \u2018yes\u2019 man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Responding to allegations that he had sought to shoot protesters and berated Cabinet members, Trump said it was a \u201ccomplete lie\u201d and that \u201c10 witnesses can back it up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMark Esper was weak and totally ineffective, and because of it, I had to run the military,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n<p>On the matter of suggesting drug cartels in Mexico being bombed, Trump was uncharacteristically short with his response writing: \u201cNo comment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Take from that what you will.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">When asked for comment on this interview, the office of former President Donald Trump provided the following statement to 60 Minutes. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QBrwHL2cR2\">https:\/\/t.co\/QBrwHL2cR2<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MZUCrfxgha\">pic.twitter.com\/MZUCrfxgha<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/60Minutes\/status\/1523442122921156608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 8, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cMark Esper was a stiff who was desperate not to lose his job,\u201d added Trump. \u201cHe was a lightweight and a figurehead, and I realized it very early on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump went on to note that he fired Esper because he \u201cwas a RINO incapable of leading, and I had to run the military myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/report-former-defense-secretary-mark-esper-ordered-backchannel-message-to-china-indicating-trump-would-not-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper Ordered \u2018Backchannel\u2019 Message To China Indicating Trump Would Not Attack<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Accused of \u2018Subverting\u2019 Trump<\/h3>\n<p>In his \u201c60 Minutes\u201d interview, O\u2019Donnell notes that Esper details \u201chow you subverted many of the president\u2019s wishes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople will say you were disloyal,\u201d she challenged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never disobeyed a direct order from the president of the United States,\u201d he replied. \u201cI was fortunate that he often didn\u2019t give direct orders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut otherwise, I did what I thought was best for the nation and for our security, and completely within the authority granted to me under the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\u201cI never disobeyed a direct order from the president\u2026 But otherwise, I did what I thought was best for the nation\u2026within the authority granted to me under the law,\u201d Mark Esper says of any perceived disloyalty to former President Trump. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JuTMGcqpUC\">https:\/\/t.co\/JuTMGcqpUC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zbMLXl1yH6\">pic.twitter.com\/zbMLXl1yH6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/60Minutes\/status\/1523441706112532480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 8, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>What he <em>did<\/em> do, however, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/mark-milley-woodward-trump-crisis-bb8a80b1-3e3a-492b-934a-99825cc6ef7f.html?utm_campaign=organic&#038;utm_medium=socialshare&#038;utm_source=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reportedly ordered<\/a> a \u201cbackchannel\u201d message to reassure China the United States would not be seeking military action in the days leading up to the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n<p>That effort by Esper, according to a senior defense official, led to General Mark Milley issuing a remarkable warning to China that if Trump ordered military action against the Communist nation he was \u201cgoing to call [General Li Zuocheng, Milley\u2019s rank counterpart in China] ahead of time.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Gen. Milley to China\u2019s top military commander, reports allege:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGeneral, I want to assure you that the American government is stable\u2026If we\u2019re going to attack, I\u2019m going to call you ahead of time. It\u2019s not going to be a surprise.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9tyswS50Ls\">pic.twitter.com\/9tyswS50Ls<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Katie Daviscourt\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@KatieDaviscourt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KatieDaviscourt\/status\/1437982631660974083?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 15, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Esper defended Milley\u2019s actions even as some \u2013 including Trump \u2013 labeled them \u2018treason.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>He also outlined how he and Milley had developed a system to stop the Commander-in-Chief from taking action on any military-related matter prior to the 2020 election.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">In order to deal with what Mark Esper calls \u201ccrazy\u201d ideas from the Trump White House, Esper says he came up with the \u201cFour No\u2019s &#038; discussed it with CJCS General Mark Milley\u2026the four things we had to prevent from happening between then and the election.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dJ4SjghCkX\">https:\/\/t.co\/dJ4SjghCkX<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Vc4ffzhlbT\">pic.twitter.com\/Vc4ffzhlbT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/60Minutes\/status\/1523439446892236800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 8, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI come up with this idea,\u201d Esper said. \u201cActually, Mark Milley and I discuss it \u2013 what we call the \u2018Four No\u2019s.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe four things we had to prevent from happening between then and the election,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd one was no strategic retreats, no unnecessary wars, no politicization of the military, and no misuse of the military.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It seems fairly obvious that both Esper and Milley would have viewed <em>any<\/em> military action as being politicization based on their comments and actions from that time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump absolutely unloaded on his former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper over claims made in an upcoming memoir, referring to Esper as a \u201clightweight\u201d and \u201cRINO.\u201d Trump answered a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":489,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1469745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1469745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/489"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1469745"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1469745\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1469745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1469745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1469745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}