Photo: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock
They have three children together.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Nov 09, 2020
Donald Trump took to Twitter on Nov. 9 to inform the country that the Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, has been fired.
"I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately," he tweeted.
"...Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service," he added.
In 2019, Mark Esper was confirmed as Defense Secretary just hours after Donald Trump announced his eligibility. When he was confirmed as Defense Secretary, he gave a lengthy speech about how his wife was more important to his career than anyone had recently given her credit for.
Who is Mark Esper's wife, Leah Esper?
Let's look at what we know about this housewife and mother.
Mark Esper thanked her extensively in his confirmation speech.
Esper admits that if it weren't for the support of his wife, he wouldn't have the career he has.
"I want to thank the President and Secretary Mattis for this opportunity and their confidence in me. I would like to begin by recognizing my wife, Leah, and our children — Luke, John, and Kate — who are with me today. Like many military families, they made sacrifices in support of my service in the Army.
I tell this story because of the big thanks I owe my wife for all of the support she gave me during those years, and the terrific job she did raising our children when I was gone. Her support is something I know I will lean on again should I be confirmed as the next Secretary of the Army," he said, according to the official bio.
When did Mark Esper and Leah Esper get married?
Mark Esper and Leah Esper got married in 1989, which means they've been together for over three decades.
Leah Esper claims to be a teacher, but there's no record of her being licensed.
There have been some suggestions that, thanks to her background working at an Athletic Booster Club, she also was a licensed teacher in Fairfax, VA.
However, according to the official Department of Education website in Fairfax, VA, Esper has no record of ever being a licensed teacher for the district.
Like other officials in the Trump administration, Esper's husband is problematic, to say the least.
When Donald Trump became president, he promised to "drain the swamp."
However, it seems that based on his subsequent administrative choices, he seems to rather enjoy living in the swamp.
And Mark Esper is yet another so-called "swamp dweller" that the Trump administration seems to be proud of.
Reports have said, "Esper is one of three acting secretaries who’ve served since Jim Mattis resigned in December, including Patrick Shanahan, who was initially nominated by President Donald Trump to take on the role permanently but withdrew from consideration in June amid revelations of domestic violence involving his ex-wife and son."
"Then there’s the Raytheon issue," the report continued. "The contractor produces electronics for a wide array of U.S. combat systems. Esper spent seven years as the company’s top lobbyist in Washington. With Esper’s confirmation, four Trump Cabinet departments will be led by former lobbyists."
To her credit, Leah Esper has visited the families of troops.
One thing that can be said in her favor: Esper knows a thing or two about the struggles that working military families face.
In the past, she's been photographed paying visits to military bases to read to the children of deployed soldiers.
Who are Mark and Leah Esper's children?
According to Mark Esper's bio on the official Department of Defense website, Leah Esper has three adult children — Luke, John, and Kate — with her longtime husband, and they've been married for 30 years.
Mark Esper had a role in the coronavirus pandemic.
Esper made the announcement that individual states can use the National Guard to enforce stay-at-home orders.
Esper said, “That would be an option for the governors. Again, the guard is active in all 50 states and territories. I'm very proud of what our guardsmen are doing, but we have a whole lot more capacity out there in the guard right now to do more.”
He went on to explain how this could possibly put a stop to the effects of the outbreak, saying, “You know, we typically think of National Guard dealing with a hurricane in a state or a series of tornadoes, and this case right now, we have 54 hurricanes out there. And every single state and territory, and we know they're going to grow in size and in their power.”
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on July 19, 2019 and was updated with the latest information.