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‘I don’t see that the president is always getting good advice’

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday that he doesn’t think “the president always gets good advice from his advisers.”

“Do you trust that the President is advised by people who consider their loyalty to the Constitution?” NBC News’ Garrett Haake asked Esper, who served in President Trump’s first term, this question during Esper’s appearance on “Meet the Press.”

“I don’t think the president always gets good advice, and so I think that’s the question to ask. I think Republicans on Capitol Hill have asked the same question: ‘Does the president get the best advice on these strategic issues?'” Esper responded.

Some Republicans in Washington have expressed concern and disappointment with some of Trump’s actions in recent weeks, particularly on Iran. Some Senate Republicans are “somber” and “appalled” about the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran finalized earlier this week.

On Sunday, Esper said there were some “serious questions” about the agreement aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“I like that we have extended the ceasefire. I like that the strait will be opened, which will provide economic relief to many people, and I like that we are starting nuclear talks,” he said. “But that said, when I look at the Memorandum of Understanding, there are many points where I have serious questions and concerns.”

Esper has become a vocal critic of Trump president fires former army secretary He left the Ministry of Defense in November 2020. Their relationship became strained during that summer, when the president used active-duty troops to quell protests. Former defense minister openly opposes use of military in civilian settings

In February of last year, Trump also revoked Esper’s security detail, adding him to a host of other allies who have become critics of the president. Details of former national security adviser John Bolton, former CIA Director Mike Pompeo and former Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley have been removed.

Esper said he would not vote for his former boss in 2024, calling him a “threat to democracy.”

“And yes, I see him as a threat to democracy, democracy as we know it, our institutions, our political culture, everything that makes America great and defines us as the oldest democracy on this planet,” Esper told former CNN’s Jim Acosta in January 2024.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

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