Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday said he doesn\u2019t think \u201cthat the president is always getting good advice\u201d from his advisers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you trust that the president is being given advice by people who think their loyalty is to the Constitution?\u201d NBC News\u2019s Garrett Haake asked Esper \u2014 who served in President Trump\u2019s first term \u2014 during Esper\u2019s appearance on \u201cMeet the Press.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see that the president is always getting good advice, and so I think that\u2019s the question to ask. I think Republicans on Capitol Hill have asked that same question, \u2018Is the president getting the best advice with regard to these strategic matters?\u2019\u201d Esper responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A number of Republicans in Washington have expressed concern and frustration with some of Trump\u2019s actions in recent weeks, particularly in Iran. Some Senate Republicans are \u201csomber\u201d and in \u201cdismay\u201d about the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, which was finalized earlier this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Esper on Sunday said he some \u201cserious questions\u201d about the deal, which seeks to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI like the fact that we\u2019ve extended the ceasefire. I like the fact that the strait is being opened up, that will provide economic relief to a lot of people, and I like the fact that we\u2019re getting into nuclear talks,\u201d he said. \u201cBut that said, when I look at the MOU there are many of the points that I have serious questions about and concerns about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Esper became a vocal critic of Trump after the president ousted the former Army secretary from the Defense Department in November 2020. Their relationship strained during that summer, when the president used active-duty troops to clamp down on protests. The former defense secretary publicly opposed the use of the military in civilian settings<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In February of last year, Trump also revoked Esper\u2019s security detail, adding him to slew of other allies-turned-critics of the president. Former national security adviser John Bolton, former CIA Director Mike Pompeo and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Mark Milley all had their details removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Esper, in 2024, said he would not vote for his old boss, calling him a \u201cthreat to democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd yes, I do regard him as a threat to democracy, democracy as we know it, our institutions, our political culture, all those things that make America great and have defined us as, you know, the oldest democracy on this planet,\u201d Esper said to Jim Acosta, formerly of CNN, in January 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n