Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected the notion that he has “shifted” away from Donald Trump in an interview Monday.
Pompeo was asked in a recent interview about tweets that seemed to indicate his loyalty to the former president had shifted, which he denied.
“I haven’t shifted … There’s no shift,” he told Semafor in an interview. “The things that worked, we should continue to go do. But I also think times are different. Right? There are moments when we need massive disruption, and there’s moments when you have to go piece it back together. That requires organization and strategy and planning and execution against the plan and measuring your progress against the plan — you know, like I did when I was a small businessperson.”
Pompeo added that he thought that the Trump administration did “really good work” but conceded a lot was left “on the table.”
“It’s kind of like the midterm election — we won the House of Representatives, that’s fantastic,” he said. “We won some important races across the country in district attorney’s offices, so, good. But boy, just missed opportunity abounded, and it abounded in our administration as well.”
It was great to speak at @RJC.
More than friends or allies, we’re family.
And our bonds are stronger than ever. pic.twitter.com/UoukCt0qQe
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) November 19, 2022
Pompeo caused a stir after a Friday tweet seemed to blame President Trump for the Republicans’ lackluster midterm results. In reference to Trump’s campaign promise that Republicans would get “tired of winning,” Pompeo tweeted, “We were told we’d get tired of winning. But I’m tired of losing. And so are most Republicans.”
Earlier last week, Pompeo seemed to throw another jab at the former president tweeting, “We need more seriousness, less noise, and leaders who are looking forward, not staring in the rearview mirror claiming victimhood.”
Pompeo, however, rejected the idea that recent criticisms of former President Trump were personal.
“There’s no, ‘coming out against the president.’ It would be deeply anti-constitutional. It’s immoral, it’s not right. And I never did it, and would never,” he told Semafor. (RELATED: Top Democrat Traded Access For Invites To Swanky Gala, Report Alleges)
“If we were still in office, I would still be working on behalf of the people of America and the Trump administration. But we’re not, and so now is the time for us to figure out how we’re going to get this even more right.”
Though he hasn’t officially announced a presidential bid for 2024, Pompeo stated that his decision to run wouldn’t depend on what “lane” he’s in or who else gets in the race.
“I simply think about: What are the things that can deliver good outcomes for the American people, and can I be the person who can actually help go deliver that?” he said. “If we conclude it should be someone else, we’re going to go work really hard for her or him.”
