Trump embraces Pompeo in warm welcome at State Department
Trump was making his first visit to the State Department.
President Donald Trump made his first trip to the State Department for the ceremonial swearing-in of his second secretary of state, Mike Pompeo. The warm embrace between the two men – and even the visit itself – presented a sharp contrast to how things ran under former secretary Rex Tillerson, the ExxonMobil CEO Trump fired in March.
Pompeo, who has hit the ground running with a visit to Europe and the Middle East already under his belt, also dove into policy, ticking off what he said were Trump administration successes and the "unprecedented opportunity to change the course of history on the Korean Peninsula."
The State Department has been cut significantly under the Trump administration, with a hiring freeze, many top positions vacant, and proposed deep budget cuts. There are currently more than three dozen ambassadorships that are vacant, and even more senior State Department roles, such as three of the six Under Secretaries of State and nine Assistant Secretaries.
But Trump seemed to shine favor on the agency, lauding employees as "extraordinary" and saying he was "profoundly grateful for everything you do for our country." That's considerably different from his thanking Russia for helping the U.S. "save on payroll" when it expelled hundreds of U.S. personnel in the country or to him telling Fox News of the vacancies, "I'm the only one that matters."
In fact, Trump seemed to blame Pompeo's predecessors for demoralizing the diplomatic corps: After he was welcomed with sustained applause, he said, "I must say that's more spirit than I've heard from the State Department in a long time, many years. We can say many years, maybe many decades."
Under Pompeo, who he praised as "an exceptional guy, a great friend, and someone that truly loves our country," the agency will soon "be doing things you don't even know about. Right now they're not even a glimmer in your eye," he said to laughs, turning to Pompeo and adding, "And we've got a couple going right now, Mike, that people don't even know about, that are very very encouraging."
Trump was also lighthearted with Pompeo, joking that he thought it was just a rumor that the former CIA director graduated first in his class at West Point.
"I've also heard I was first in my class at the Wharton School of Finance," the president added jokingly.
He also joked that the men and women of the CIA were "the only people who aren't happy right now," but added, "they will be happy with our Gina [Haspel], who's here today."
Haspel, the deputy CIA director, has been nominated by Trump to be the agency's next director. A career CIA analyst, she faces a tough battle ahead for Senate confirmation, given her role in the CIA's darker chapters.
For his part, Pompeo thanked God, his family, had praise for President Trump and Deputy Secretary John Sullivan, and the department, calling this a "humbling" experience.
But he also dipped into foreign policy, noting what he laid out as the Trump administration's success: Defeating ISIS, confronting Iran and "deciding on next steps for the flawed JCPOA," moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, imposing tough penalties on Russia, and confronting China economically.
Most important for the nation's top diplomat, who recently met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, was the "unprecedented opportunity to change the course of history on the Korean Peninsula." Pompeo traveled to Pyongyang over Easter weekend to lay the groundwork for Trump's summit with Kim.
"The outcome is still unknown, but one thing is certain," Pompeo said, "This administration will not repeat the mistakes of the past. Our eyes are wide open. It's time to solve this once and for all. A bad deal is not an option. The American people are counting on us to get this right."
As he's said for a week now, he wants to bring the State Department's "swagger" back, defining that Wednesday as, "We need our men and women out at the front lines executing our diplomacy with great vigor and energy and to represent the finest nation in the history of civilization."
Despite the upbeat atmosphere in the room, the rest of the building and the department's thousands of employees overseas are still holding their breath, to see what Pompeo does, not just how he speaks.
Beyond Haspel and Pence, several top Trump administration officials were in the room, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, House and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Mark Green.
Jared Kushner, who often clashed with Tillerson given their opposing views on the Gulf Arab countries' fight and the Jerusalem embassy decision, as well as Kushner's portfolio with Middle East peace, Mexico, China, and more, was there, with his wife, Senior Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump and Trump's daughter.
Vice President Mike Pence read the oath, as Pompeo's wife Susan held the Bible, with the couple's son Nick close by. Mary Ann Glendon, the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican under George W. Bush, read the invocation.
There was no mention of Tillerson, whom Trump never visited at the State Department.
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