Former President Donald Trump reportedly told his then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to “shut the hell up for a while” about China at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, Pompeo claims in his upcoming memoir.
Trump apparently wanted to avoid angering Chinese President Xi Jinping at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, one day after Pompeo said China “repeatedly delayed” sharing information about the virus, and waged a “disinformation campaign,” according to Semafor.
New: Pompeo, in his upcoming book, says Trump told him to “shut the hell up for a while” about criticisms of China at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in order to avoid angering Xi Jinping.
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Trump reportedly told Xi on a March 26, 2020, call that Pompeo was jeopardizing the “phase one” trade deal between the U.S. and China, Pompeo says in his memoir, Semafor reported. Pompeo believes Xi Jinping was trying to get Trump to fire him and listened in on the phone call.
“My Mike, that fucking guy hates you!” Trump reportedly said after the call, the outlet reported.
A few days later, Trump reportedly told Pompeo he was “putting us all at risk,” by angering Xi when the U.S. needed personal protective equipment (PPE) from China.
“We needed health equipment and were at the CCP’s mercy for it,” Pompeo says in his memoir. “I worked for the president, and would bide my time,” he continued. (RELATED: Mike Pompeo Challenges Teachers Union Boss Randi Weingarten To Debate)
Pompeo’s memoir titled “Never Giving an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love” will be published Jan. 24 by HarperCollins.
Pompeo served as Trump’s Secretary of State from 2018 – 2021 after serving as CIA Director from 2017-18 and four terms in Congress. He is expected to run for the GOP presidential nomination against Trump in a crowded field of candidates.