Donald Trump's former Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, didn't have favorable things to say about his former boss when appearing on CNN after the former president's 2024 announcement.
Speaking to the network about NATO and the missile strike that hit Poland, Esper was also asked about Trump's announcement and indicated he would not be supporting Trump.
"I wish he wouldn't," Esper lamented. "I think he's unfit for office. I thought his remarks were very subdued and very uninspiring and I think it's time for the Republican Party to go to more unified leaders and work on policy issues and not on personal attacks."
"Look, he puts himself before country," Esper explained. "His actions are all about him and not about the country. And we saw last weekend it's all about him and not about the party. So, to me, that's shortcoming number one, and I believe he has integrity issues and character as well. I don't think he's an honest person. We saw the falsehoods in the remarks that came out of his remarks last night, with regard to this. And Americans need a leader they can trust, that they have confidence in, that is putting them above an individual's own self-interest. This is that's what we need from leadership. I've mentioned, that's what Ronald Reagan gave us."
He went on to explain that he thinks Republicans could get the same policies without all the problems that come with Trump.
"My message has been there were accomplishments in the Trump administration ...better border security, conservative judges, lower taxes, deregulation," he continued. "I think you can get all those things with a new generation of Republican leaders who may be more inline with what I consider myself, a Reagan Republican, who can do so without the baggage and personal attacks and self-centeredness of Donald Trump and can grow the Republican base as well."
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He explained that the 2022 midterms clearly showed that Trump is "incapable of winning an election," noting the former president has "done more to help the Democrats than the Republicans. There's no reason why we shouldn't have a bigger margin in the House and we should have taken the Senate and yet we haven't."
To govern, he said, you have to win and Trump can't do that. When asked who could, he put Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) at the top of his list.
See the interview below or at this link.