President Trump intends to replace Secretary of Defense Mark Esper if he wins reelection in November.
Esper has, in turn, said privately that he may leave whether Trump wins or loses on Election Day.
John McEntee, 30, an administration official overseeing Trump’s Presidential Personnel Office, is assisting the search for a replacement, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
Clashes between Trump and Esper have surfaced in recent months across a broad range of hot-button issues, including the deployment of active-duty soldiers to address rioting.
Esper pushed back publicly on Trump’s call to deploy active-military troops to cities in the wake of George Floyd’s death, calling the move “a matter of last resort” in a press briefing.
After Trump said an explosion in Beirut last week could be the result of an “attack,” Esper, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, countered the president’s suggestion, saying that “most believe it was an accident.”
A July memo from Esper’s office announced a ban on flying the Confederate battle flag on U.S. military property, though it did not mention the flag by name. Trump erupted over the de facto rule, according to a report.
In a statement Wednesday, the Pentagon said that Esper swore an oath to the Constitution as a U.S. Military Academy cadet more than 38 years ago and “continues that same commitment to duty, honor, and country today” but recognizes he serves “at the pleasure of the president.”
