Trump Quotes Defense Secretary “Mark Esperanto”

USA Today reports:

President Donald Trump once again took to Twitter to defend his decision to pull U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria, opening the door to a Turkish assault on Kurds who had helped America combat the Islamic State, but in the process, he incorrectly identified his secretary of defense.

On Sunday, Trump quoted “Mark Esperanto, Secretary of Defense” as saying, “The ceasefire is holding up very nicely” aside from “some minor skirmishes that have ended quickly.”

But the man the president put in charge of the Pentagon is named Mark Esper, not Esperanto. And many observers do not share Esper/Esperanto’s certainty that the ceasefire the Trump administration helped broker between Turkey and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces is holding up as well as he and other White House officials have implied.

I believe Mark Esperanto serves alongside Treasury secretary Steve Munchkin and USTR Robert Lightsaber pic.twitter.com/hv0XS9c2Sy

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) October 20, 2019

Mark Esperanto = Mark Esper
Tim Apple = Tim Cook
Mike Pounce = Mike Pence
Mike Bolton = John Bolton
Betanyahu = Netanyahu
Ron Ryan = Paul Ryan
Steve McCarthy = Kevin McCarthy
Marillyn Lockheed = Marillyn Hewson
Donald Trump = Donald Trump

— Tim O’Brien (@TimOBrien) October 20, 2019

“Are you Mark Esperanto?” pic.twitter.com/dT6JWPp1LX

— Jason (@my_good_karma) October 20, 2019

My name is Mark Esperanto, Secretary of Defense. Prepare to be defended! pic.twitter.com/DBBXFmMju8

— Jeremy Newberger (@jeremynewberger) October 20, 2019

If you’ll excuse me I’m listening to Esperanto by the Eagles

— Jeff Dwoskin (@bigmacher) October 20, 2019

Mark Esperanto is not the name of the Secretary of Defense but it 100% sounds like the name of someone who gets arrested for working with Rudy Giuliani pic.twitter.com/Goaf8SXhDI

— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) October 20, 2019