Mike Pompeo, former U.S. Secretary of State under the Trump administration, announced on Friday that he will not run for president in 2024
“I have made a decision: I was on your show a number of months back, and you asked what I was gonna to do in 2024. Susan and I now have been thinking about it and, prayerfully, have come to the conclusion that we’re not going to join the race in 2024," Pompeo told host Bret Baier, referring to his wife.
“While we care deeply about America and the issues that I’ve been talking about this last year and a half—and frankly for decades—matter an awful lot, this isn’t our moment. This isn’t the time for us to seek elected office,” the former official added.
When asked whether considerations about former President Donald Trump’s surging poll numbers impacted his decision, Pompeo answered in the negative, adding that it is a “deeply personal decision” based on family considerations.
“And frankly, this race, I hope it isn’t about people. I hope it’s about these ideas,” he added. “These are things, since I was a young soldier, that I’ve been working on: the fact that we’re losing our military edge, the fact that we are on pace to spend two trillion dollars more than we take in ... these are things that I care about.”
When asked if he would endorse anyone in the primary, Pompeo answered: “We'll see how it plays out.”
“It’s not about any one person,” he said.
Later in the interview, Pompeo weighed in on the abortion debate.
“I think that Republicans should defend the right of the unborn just in the same way we'll protect the Second Amendment and religious freedom,” he said. “This is one of the issues that’s just—you can’t give an inch.”
“This isn’t a place that Republicans should try to play politics,” Pompeo said. “We should get this issue right, and I’m convinced [that] when we do, the American people will reward us for that.”
