Mike Pompeo, who served as secretary of state under former President Donald Trump, said Sunday on Fox News that his former boss was not a true conservative. (See the video below.)
Pompeo, who is considering a bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination against Trump, was asked by Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday”: “Is President Pompeo doing a better job managing the deficit and the debt than President Trump?”
Pompeo’s answer: “I think President Pompeo or a conservative president will do better than what he did in four years in the administration of Trump, Barack Obama, George Bush. The list is long, Shannon, of people who came to Washington with one theory and were not prepared stand up and explain to the American people how it’s right. … It’s going to take real conservative leadership, Shannon.
Inquisitive Bream: “Are you saying former President Trump is not a true conservative leader?”
Pompeo, who took swipes at Trump’s reliance on celebrity and “identity politics” without naming names at a Conservative Political Action Committee conference last week, did not respond.
“The debt is $6 trillion more,” Pompeo replied. “This is not the right direction for the country, Shannon.”
The federal debt has grown by nearly $8 trillion under the Trump administration, according to ProPublica and The Washington Post. (The national debt rose to the $31.4 trillion statutory borrowing limit in January, making it impossible for Democrats and Republicans to raise the ceiling.)
While Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley are among the important names that have officially announced their candidacy for the Republican nomination, Pompeo and others, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence, continue their de-facto campaign.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the national debt reached $31.4 billion instead of $31.4 trillion.