Donald Trump’s former secretary of defense on Wednesday slammed his former boss as “not fit for office,” a day after the 45th president announced the launch of his 2024 campaign.
In an interview with CNN, Mark Esper said of the 76-year-old Trump, “I don’t think he’s fit for office.
“He puts himself before his country,” continued the former Pentagon secretary, adding, “I think that’s the number one flaw, and then he also has integrity and character issues.” added.
Esper went on to explain that one of these “character issues” is Trump’s difficulty in telling the truth, and believes Americans want a more credible commander-in-chief. Stated.
“I don’t think he’s an honest man. I saw the lies that came out of his statements last night … Americans need leaders they can trust,” Esper said.
Like many who watched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago announcement, the former army officer panned Trump’s Tuesday speech.
“I thought his remarks were very modest and uninspiring,” Esper said.
The former defense secretary also blamed Trump for the failure of Republicans to make more money in Congress and state offices in the midterm elections.
“Last week’s election is an example of how Donald Trump can’t win an election,” Esper said.
Esper, who was fired from his post after Trump lost the 2020 election, called on both Republicans and Democrats to find a new party bannerman.
“I think it’s time for the Republican Party, and frankly, both parties, to move on to the next generation of leaders, especially those who can unite our country and return to a more normal governance of dealing with each other. With dignity and respect, we address policy issues, not personal attacks,” Esper said.
Esper hailed recent Trump foe Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Republican) as one of the “next generation” looking like a promising presidential candidate.
“He did a great job in Florida. He got more Hispanics on board. To me he looks like a frontrunner,” Esper said.
“But I think we need primaries to see who can rise, rally Republicans, grow their base, and really reach out to independents across the country.”
