TRUMP PEOPLE: “Trump called [Mark] Esper’s claims [in his new book about being Defense Secretary under Trump] a ‘complete lie’ in a statement to 60 Minutes, saying that 10 witnesses would back him up.
‘Mark Esper was weak and totally ineffective, and because of it, I had to run the military. I took out ISIS, Qasem Soleimani, al-Baghdadi, rebuilt the military with $2.5 trillion, created Space Force, and so much more,’ Trump said in the statement. ‘Mark Esper was a stiff who was desperate not to lose his job.’ Trump added, ‘He would do anything I wanted, that’s why I called him Yesper.’”
-Paul Best, “Trump spars with Esper over claims that the former president wanted to shoot protesters,” foxnews.com, May 8, 2022