It looks like Mark Esper's relationship with the White House is on shaky ground after the Secretary of Defense admitted that he is not in favor of using active-duty troops to subdue nation-wide protests that have been triggered after the death of George Floyd. Esper said he believes the aforesaid forces are meant to be used in a law enforcement role as part of a desperate remedy in case nothing else works.

Esper said that the nation is not in one of those situations where it is imperative to deploy the active-duty troops while speaking from the Pentagon briefing room podium. This remark does not coincide with Trump's recent warnings about deploying the military in an attempt to enforce the order.

Sharing his thoughts, Esper said calling the military should be used as a last resort and only in the most urgent or dire situations, adding that America is not in one of those situations at the moment. " I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act," he told reporters. On top of that, Esper didn't seem supportive of the president's decision for taking photos outside St. John's Church amid an ongoing protest.

During the recently concluded press briefing, Esper went over the White House poorly, despite his tenuous standing, as people familiar with the matter claim. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, on the other hand, refrained from directly answering whether or not Trump still has confidence in Esper. McEnany responded by pointing out that Secretary Esper is still Secretary Esper.

As far as the president's confidence in Secretary Esper is concerned, McEnany said the reporters will be the first to know if he loses it. Three sources told CNN that Esper will not lose his job at the moment, adding that he was at the White House for about three hours earlier as he had several meetings, including one with Trump in the Oval Office.

According to a senior Republican source, there are tensions regarding Esper at the moment. The source revealed that Trump has a lack of respect for his defense chief. Esper, who has had hardly any sort of influence, is taking his lead from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the source stated. If the source's information is anything to go by, Esper's press conference is highly likely to make things worse for him.

Three people familiar with the White House's opinion revealed that national security adviser Robert O'Brien and a slew of other top officials are not happy with Esper's remarks. The White House aides did not get a warning about Esper's remarks, particularly his decision to go against the president's recommendation about using the military to suppress the unrest in the cities.