Book Review: ‘Never Give An Inch: Fighting for the America I Love’ by Mike Pompeo

Former U.S. Secretary of State and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on March 3, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

As of this writing, former Kansas Congressman and director of the CIA and Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has not announced that he is in the race to be the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

The memoir of his time in the Trump administration, “Never Give An Inch: Fighting for the America I Love,” hit the streets at the beginning of the year. His image on the cover (he’s lost quite a bit of weight) is strikingly presidential. Pompeo projects a strong, forceful demeanor as he looks straight out to whomever picks up a copy.

If this is part of a future campaign strategy, it isn’t a bland one. Quite the contrary, Pompeo comes off the pages roaring like a lion. He minces no words in telling you who he is and what he is about. He has little patience for ineptitude whether its dealing with Washington’s bureaucracy or catering to the whims of a foreign diplomat.

Behind his gracious smile is a smart, no nonsense political beast who is unwavering in his faith, devotion to family, dedication to duty, and unparalleled patriotism. All of this comes shining through the pages as Pompeo describes in intimate and unflinching detail his dealings with the former president, chiefs of staff, and heads of state.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a cabinet meeting at the White House July 16, 2019. Trump and members of his administration addressed a wide variety of subjects, including Iran, for more than an hour. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Bullish on America

I know this is an advertising cliché, “there is no ‘I’ in team,” but it holds true for Pompeo and the people he chooses to surround himself with. Ego aside, he credits all the accomplishments that were made domestically and internationally during Trump’s presidency to the untiring work of intelligent, hard-working, and loyal staff, many working directly for him. He’s a tough taskmaster but, from his writings, he assembled masterful and successful teams to get the jobs done.

First in his graduating class at West Point in 1986, he served as a cavalry officer in the U.S. Army before graduating from Harvard Law School. He’s run successful businesses while teaching Sunday school; he’s been a soldier, a spy, and a congressman in the state of Kansas. Adding CIA director and Secretary of State to his resume coupled with his deep faith in God and America cast him as a formidable warrior. Perhaps that’s the image he wants to project.

Potential political ambitions aside, Pompeo’s accounting of his time spent in the Trump administration, at times, reads like a Tom Clancy or Brad Thor thriller. As one of the president’s key advisers and executors of foreign policy, Pompeo plays a significant role.

What is startingly revealing in this gutsy narrative is that decisions, and the resultant consequences, affecting a nation are generally made by a few powerful individuals who have been entrusted with the confidence of many. It’s a fact that’s at times sensational and often terrifying.

Keeping the Bad Guys at Bay

Pompeo preferred to go on offense rather than adopt an appeasement strategy when he spearheaded the assassination of Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani in 2020. He took a lot of political and media heat for that action but stands by the decision—preventing future American deaths took top priority in his mind.

There are many takeaways from this read in terms of historical significance about the day-to-day operations in the Trump administration, but perhaps, more importantly, a glimpse into the often chaotic and compelling ways in which our government is run, told by one who was at the forefront of the drama during a pivotal period. There is much to learn.

Pompeo’s path was never smooth or seamless. His book is a rather raw account of how to succeed in a suffocating swamp with conspiracies as your oxygen.  Told in the first person, the narrative is at times fierce and unflinching, blunt and tough, but always with clarity of purpose and rooted in faith.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the briefing room at the State Department, on Nov. 26, 2019 in Washington. He spoke on several topics including Iran. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Today Pompeo is a marked man. As he shares with the readers:

“We put America first, and I have the scars to prove it: I am sanctioned by three countries—Russia, China, and Iran—and the last one is still trying to kill me. Another country has issued a summons for my testimony about an alleged assassination attempt. I can’t even go buy a quart of milk without my security detail taking me to the store.”

While you may or may not be a Pompeo fan, his read is an eye-opener for understanding the challenges that our country faces in the future. We do live in dangerous times, and his story of leadership is inspiring.

It also makes you very grateful to live in America, this place we cherish as home.

Mike Pompeo has written a memoir of his time in the Trump administration, “Never Give An Inch: Fighting for the America I Love.” Broadside Books

‘Never Give An Inch: Fighting for the America I Love’ By Mike Pompeo Broadside Books, Jan. 24, 2023 Hardcover: 464 pages