Donald Trump’s former secretary of state, who’s reportedly been looking to lodge his own presidential run in 2024, utilized his time on the CPAC stage to make it crystal clear as to where he stands with regard to his old, scandal-ridden boss — and suffice it to say, he’s very clearly not a MAGA supporter these days.
Former Trump-era Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took to the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference recently, where he wasted absolutely no time in taking direct aim at former president, and his own former boss, Donald Trump — calling on Conservatives across the country to finally reject “celebrity leaders” with “fragile egos.”
If that isn’t a direct potshot at Donald J. Trump, I truly don’t know what is.
“We lost race after winnable race because voters didn’t trust us to do any better than the tax-and-spend liberals,” Pompeo said while addressing the audience at this year’s CPAC event, that seemingly boasted extremely embarrassing low crowd sizes this go around.
“Over the last few years, I’ve heard some who claim to be conservative excuse hypocrisy by saying something like ‘well, we’re we’re electing a president, not a Sunday school teacher,'” the former Trump-era official went on to add.
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“That’s true,” Pompeo, a former GOP House member and ex-CIA director, said. “But having taught Sunday school, maybe we could get both,” he said, taking what appeared to be a clear swipe at Donald’s laundry list of unsavory actions and behavior over the years.
But Mike’s true kill shot came when the former secretary of state took clear aim at Donald Trump’s truly embarrassing electoral history, hitting below the best when he told the audience, “We lost three elections in a row and the popular vote in 7 of the last 8.”
Potential GOP presidential candidate Mike Pompeo, who declared in November 2020 that there would be a “second Trump administration” even after the election was called for Biden, seems to acknowledge Trump’s loss at CPAC:
“We lost three elections in a row.” pic.twitter.com/C2AixiOdXf
— The Recount (@therecount) March 3, 2023
Pompeo then turned his attention to Conservatives who seek to use the US federal government as a means to punish their critics and enemies — something Donald Trump was absolutely notorious for during his time in office.
Don’t hand that government more power under the guise of conservatism. We shouldn’t look for larger-than-life personalities, but rather we should find power in the rooms like this one.
People all across the country. And I’m confident we’re going to get a renewed dedication to accountability, Personal responsibility results. This is the thing that has made the conservative movement and our party successful for decades.
We can’t become the left following celebrity leaders with our own brand of identity politics, those with fragile egos who refuse to acknowledge reality. This is a tough world, both abroad and here. And we know we can’t shift blame to others, but must accept the responsibility that comes to those of us who step forward and lead.”
The former Trump Cabinet member went on to specifically mention his old boss by name as he discussed the national debt, and Trump’s role in inflating it beyond measure.
“I stare today at $31 trillion in debt and tell my son, ‘Make sure you work hard because Social Security may just not be there for you,'” he said. “Every recent administration, Republican and Democrat alike, added trillions in dollars to our debt. That is deeply unconservative. [The] Trump administration, the administration I served, added $8 trillion in new debt. This is indecent and can’t continue. Earning back that trust will be hard work, it won’t just be a campaign speech.”
Pompeo:
“The Trump administration, the administration I served, added $8 trillion in new debt. This is indecent.” pic.twitter.com/JDCDbLvP26
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 3, 2023
Despite Pompeo’s fiery attitude, the former secretary of state’s speech modeled the rest of this year’s CPAC event and failed to draw in many listeners, with Semafor’s Dave Wiegel tweeting from the scene, “Energy for Haley and Pompeo speeches was pretty low; a reporter asked me ‘was that what it was like when Jeb was here?’ More than just not filling the room, many lines being tested out that didn’t land.”
Energy for Haley and Pompeo speeches was pretty low; a reporter asked me “was that what it was like when Jeb was here?” More than just not filling the room, many lines being tested out that didn’t land. pic.twitter.com/xRm0tWkzyE
— David Weigel (@daveweigel) March 3, 2023
Featured image via Flickr/Gage Skidmore, under Creative Commons license 2.0
