White House reportedly eyeing Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to replace Mark Esper as defense secretary

President Trump has had three defense secretaries during his tenure, and he may soon have his fourth. NBC News reports White House officials are in talks with Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie about stepping in as defense secretary should Trump fire existing Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Wilkie's role on the White House's COVID-19 task force apparently raised his profile with the president.

Trump has reportedly long been displeased with Esper, who has been in the role for about a year. He recently broke with Trump on a handful of issues including renaming military bases that are named for Confederate leaders (Esper said yes, Trump said no) and invoking the Insurrection Act to send federal troops to cities experiencing protests (Esper said no, Trump said maybe). Now, tensions are especially high between Trump and Esper, NBC News reports, as the president faces backlash for allegedly calling U.S. veterans "losers" and "suckers."

Shaking up the top job at the Pentagon might give Trump his fall guy, but allies are reportedly concerned it could also "create turmoil in his administration during the closing weeks of the campaign." NBC reports that "the option of naming Wilkie as acting Pentagon chief would give Trump the flexibility to remove Esper immediately after the November election, if not before."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Officials told NBC News "there are no plans to replace Secretary Esper." Last month, though, when asked about the issue, Trump said: "I consider firing everybody. At some point, at some point, that's what happens."

Read more at NBC News.