'He doesn't put country first': Trump's former Defense Secretary trashes his patriotism in CNN interview
On CNN Monday, former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a longtime member of the Trump administration, made clear he does not support his former boss and does not believe he should hold the presidency again.
A key reason, said Esper, is that he does not "put country first."
"You served during a tumultuous time in the Trump administration, you were fired in November, November 9th of 2020," said anchor Brianna Keilar. "As you're watching these January 6th hearings, what are you thinking?"
"Well, I wish I was able to see more of them, but like many Americans, I found myself stuck on airplanes or airports," said Esper. "Each hearing, as I read in the paper, the facts are startling. I've been saying, shocking but not surprising. It's an important service they were providing to recount what happened on January 6th and the days and weeks leading up to it. It's important for us to understand our history, and that there be accountability."
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"You've said you won't vote for him again, you've urged others not to," said Keilar. "What's your biggest worry about what happens if President Trump is elected again?"
"Well, no, I won't support him," said Esper. "I've argued to my Republican colleagues that you can find the same type of conservative, traditional Republican policies but without — without all of the baggage, the coarseness and everything else because we need a Republican leader that cannot just unite the party but unite the country. My concern about Donald Trump trying to run for office again is he doesn't put country first and that's a problem for me, a major problem. I think he has to put country first, leaders need to lead and bring people together and he just doesn't have that capability."
Watch the video below or at this link.
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