As published (USA Today - August 12, 2020) - Signals that Defense Secretary Mark Esper's tenure at the Pentagon could be cut short have intensified after a long, hot summer of clashes with President Donald Trump, according to Capitol Hill and administration officials. 

The latest conflict involved the assessment over the cause of the devastating blast in Lebanon that left Trump seething. Shortly after the explosion, Trump blamed it on an attack, citing briefings from “generals” whom neither the administration nor the Pentagon would identify. The following day Esper contradicted Trump at a security forum, saying all indications pointed to an accident triggering the explosion.

That contradiction increased friction between the White House and Pentagon, according to a Capitol Hill aide speaking on condition of anonymity.

Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Trump intended to replace Esper after the election, and that Esper planned to resign at that point, too.