U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Twitter on Monday that Mark Esper, his defence secretary, "has been terminated." 4:38Since the creation of the Defence Department and the position of defence secretary in 1947, the only three presidents to lose election for a second term — Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. The defence secretary also encouraged a review of the naming of military installations after Confederate leaders, another action Trump expressed his opposition to. Asked if he was considering firing Esper, Trump said, "At some point, that's what happens." Trump's first defence secretary, James Mattis, lasted until December 2018 before his departure, which was hastened by disagreements over U.S. policy in Syria.

Source: CBC News November 09, 2020 18:55 UTC