President Trump has reached out to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie to gauge his interest in replacing Secretary of Defense Mike Esper, who has fallen out of favor with Trump, NBC News reports.
As a person already holding a Senate-confirmed position, Wilkie would first be named as “acting secretary” but could assume the job with little investigation.
Trump’s fifth Defense Secretary (including those in the “acting” capacity) in 43 months, Esper has been the target of Trump’s wrath since he took the office in July 2019. Esper has supported removing the names of Confederate leaders from US military installations and equipment. He also supported closing down the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, a move for which Trump has received severe backlash.