Jim Mattis has resigned as US defence secretary to protest the way Donald Trump has treated allies and dealt with adversaries such as China and Russia, in a dramatic exit that came a day after the president said he would withdraw forces from Syria.
Mr Trump tweeted on Thursday that Mr Mattis would be “retiring”. But in a resignation letter, Mr Mattis made clear he was leaving because he disagreed with the commander-in-chief over a wide range of policies and suggested that Mr Trump was putting the nation at risk. Mr Mattis opposed withdrawing from Syria.
“Because you have the right to have a secretary of defence whose views are better aligned with yours . . . I believe it is right for me to step down from my position,” Mr Mattis wrote in the letter, which was released shortly after a meeting with Mr Trump.