Did President Trump Consider Firing Secretary of Defense Mark Esper?

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Yuri Gripas/Reuters

CNN: Wall Street Journal: Trump came close to firing Esper due to dispute over protest response

President Donald Trump came close to firing Secretary of Defense Mark Esper last week following their dispute over Trump's threat to use active-duty troops to quell large-scale protests across the United States, several officials told The Wall Street Journal.

The officials told the Journal that allies and advisers on Capitol Hill talked Trump out of the move after he asked their opinion about the disagreement. Esper, some of the officials said, had made his own preparations to resign -- including preparing a resignation letter -- but was convinced by aides not to go forward with it.

An administration official familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN Wednesday that Esper contemplated resigning following the public break with Trump over the response to protests.

The source said, Esper was aware the President was angry enough to potentially fire him. Esper strongly opposed the President's notion that active duty troops might need to be called in, believing there were sufficient National Guard forces.

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Update #1: Trump was talked out of firing Esper last week: report -- The Hill
Update #2: Trump was talked out of firing Defense Secretary Esper over disagreement on protest response, WSJ says -- CNBC

WNU Editor: I never had the impression last week that he was going to "fire" the Defence Secretary. But according to the Wall Street Journal, some did.