OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Another former member of former President Donald Trump’s administration has announced that he is considering campaigning for president.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared on the Fox News show “One Nation With Brian Kilmeade” and said he will decided in the “next few months” if he will campaign.
“I want to bring you to your next future. If you read your book, you understand you’re goal-oriented and no goal is out of your reach if you choose to grind it out and do it, and you look at yourself as a grinder. I wanted to tell you, there’s two people you know quite well, that you served with, that are pretty much considering getting into the race and are virtually in it, it’s Tim Scott and Nikki Haley. Listen to them,” he said before playing Haley and Scott’s comments.
“So, Mr. Secretary, on the 15th, Nikki Haley will be officially in. Tim Scott is on a listening tour, that will result in a bid. What about you? Would you go against your former teammates and your former president?” the host said.
“I love Tim. I think the American people will get treated to a big group of conservative believers who are out there making their case for why they ought to be the next president of the United States. I hope everyone who thinks they’re that person goes after it and chases that, and that we have a solid, reasoned, logical, serious debate about the direction of our country. It matters too much to do it any other way, Brian,” the former Secretary of State said.
“What’s your timeline?” Kilmeade said.
“Next handful of months. Susan and I will think our way through this, keep praying and figure it out,” Pompeo said.
“Is there anybody in the race now you don’t think you could beat?” the host said.
“(Laughs) It’s not about who you are competing against. You are competing to convince the American people that you are the right person for the job at this time,” the former Secretary of State said.
“That is the concept. I hope everyone who engages in the campaign behaves in a way that justifies what the American people are demanding: serious, thoughtful, determined leadership that fixes the kinds of things we’re seeing in America today,” he said.
It was last week when Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as the United Nations Ambassador for former President Donald Trump, was reported to be set to announce her campaign for president.
It comes after Haley famously declared that she would not challenge Trump in the primary if he chose to campaign.
“I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it,” she said in 2021, but that is what she is going to do.
Nikki Haley last April:
“I would not run if President Trump ran." https://t.co/HOA0Bjf185 pic.twitter.com/3EEigjq3tV
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 1, 2023
Fox News reported:
Multiple sources confirm to Fox News Digital that Haley will formally declare her candidacy for the White House at an event in Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 15, with an invitation soon going out to her supporters. News of Haley’s announcement was first reported by the Post and Courier newspaper in South Carolina.
Political pundits have long viewed Haley as a potential GOP presidential contender, as she crisscrossed the country the past two years through her political group Stand for America, helping fellow Republicans running in the 2022 elections. Haley’s travels brought her numerous times to Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, which hold the first, second, and fourth contests in the Republican presidential nominating calendar. Haley’s home state of South Carolina votes third in the GOP primary schedule.
After the midterms, Haley was one of many Republicans who attended the “Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting when she said she would consider a campaign for the presidency.
“A lot of people have asked if I’m gonna run for president. Now that the midterms are over, I’ll look at it in a serious way, and I’ll have more to say soon,” she said.
“For now, I’ll say this. I’ve won tough primaries and tough general elections. I’ve been the underdog every single time. When people underestimate me, it’s always fun. But I’ve never lost an election. And I’m not gonna start now,” she said.
Last weekend the former president spoke about possibly facing Haley in a primary as he attended two Republican events.
“I talked to her for a little while, I said, ‘Look, you know, go by your heart if you want to run,’” he said. “She’s publicly said that ‘I would never run against my president, he was a great president.’”
But Haley spoke to Fox News and appeared to take a swipe at Trump and President Joe Biden.
“It’s bigger than one person. And when you’re looking at the future of America, I think it’s time for new generational change. I don’t think you need to be 80 years old to go be a leader in D.C.,” she said. “I think we need a young generation to come in, step up, and really start fixing things.”
