James Mattis quits as Donald Trump’s defence secretary, laying bare their differences in a scathing resignation letter
- James Mattis resigned one day after Donald Trump stunned the Pentagon by announcing the withdrawal of US troops from Syria
- In his resignation letter, Mattis said the US had to be ‘unambiguous’ with nations like Russia and China, and it needed to treat allies with respect
US Defence Secretary James Mattis has abruptly handed in his resignation, laying bare his differences with US President Donald Trump in a scathing letter after a face-to-face meeting in which they aired their differences.
Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general who was known as a stabilising force in Trump’s Cabinet, will leave his job at the end of February, Trump said in a tweet on Thursday, which described Mattis as “retiring”.
The fate of Mattis had been under intense scrutiny since Trump announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing US troops from Syria, despite opposition from US allies and Trump’s own top military officials.
In his unvarnished resignation letter, Mattis said he was stepping down so Trump could have a defence secretary who shared his own views.
Read US Defence Secretary James Mattis’ resignation letter to Trump in full
Mattis said the US must be “unambiguous” with nations like Russia and China, and it was his core belief that the US needed to show its allies respect and stand up to “malign actors”.