US Defense Secy Mark Esper issues first response after Trump terminates him on Twitter

United States President Donald Trump on Monday fired his Defence Secretary Mark Esper. Trump's first firing of his Cabinet colleagues comes days after major media outlets declared that he has lost the November 3 elections to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. According to CNN, Mark Esper said that he has accepted Trump's decision to replace him.

'I accept your decision to replace me'

"I serve the country in deference to the Constitution, so I accept your decision to replace me. I step aside knowing there is much we achieved at the Defense Department over the last eighteen months to protect the nation and improve the readiness, capabilities, and professionalism of the joint force, while fundamentally transforming and preparing the military for the future," said Esper in a letter.

Trump's decision to replace Esper also comes days after the former Defence Secretary in an interview told The Military Times that he was not a "yes man" for the President. "My frustration is I sit here and say, Hm, 18 Cabinet members. Who's pushed back more than anybody?' Name another Cabinet secretary that's pushed back, he told The Military Times. "Have you seen me on a stage saying, 'Under the exceptional leadership of blah-blah-blah, we have blah-blah-blah-blah?'" he said, according to PTI.

READ | Republic and Arnab are resolved to win this fight, will march forward till justice is done

READ | Fadnavis & BJP ask courts to take cognisance of "mishandling of custody" of Arnab Goswami

According to CNN, Esper had been on shaky ground with the White House for months, a rift that deepened after he said in June that he did not support using active-duty troops to quell the large-scale protests across the United States triggered by the death of George Floyd by police. He also said military forces should be used in a law enforcement role only as a last resort.

Travel to India to attend the 2+2 ministerial meeting was Esper's last foreign travel as Defence Secretary. Esper was appointed as the Secretary of Defence in 2019, replacing James Mattis.

READ | Bihar Election results 2020 LIVE Updates: CM Nitish Kumar battles Tejashwi for a 4th term

READ | #IndiaWithArnab Petition Gets More Than 6 Lakh Signatures From 200+ Stated Geographies