Called the worst Secretary of State Pompeo of all time by Foreign Policy magazine, he found a new job.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo found a new job soon after leaving office, and he is about to join the Hudson Institute as an “outstanding person”, according to Fox News.
The Hudson Institute is a non-profit American think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It has been very popular among American conservatives. It is regarded as a platform for conservatives to provide policy advice and gradually becomes a Republican think tank.
According to the U.S. media, Pompeo’s move may be intended to prepare for the presidential election in 2024, and contact with conservative think tanks can keep him active in policy matters.
Pompeo’s joining a think tank was ridiculed by American netizens.
In a statement, Pompeo said in a statement, “I am pleased to join the Hudson Institute and look forward to contributing to its mission to promote American leadership and global engagement,” according to the U.S. news website Axios.
Sarah May Stern, chairman of the board of directors of the Hudson Institute, welcomed Pompeo’s joining.
Obviously, both sides are satisfied with the cooperation, but American netizens do not buy it, but open a “sarcasm mode”.
“Hiring him [Pompeo], the Hudson Institute even formally accepted Pompeo’s naked ‘white supremacy’ and attempted to normalize it after the Capitol riots.
“[Pompeo] joined the think tank directly, so let’s make sure that we don’t take this institute’s publications seriously again.”
“To be sure, everything they say is selfish lies. Hudson Institute + Pompeo = Lies”.
Pompeo may intend to run for president.
In December last year, Pompeo said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he wanted to return to his hometown of Kansas after leaving office, which triggered a round of speculation that Pompeo would run for governor of Kansas. Now Pompeo has chosen to stay in Washington, D.C., and the American media said that “he is obviously not interested in the governor’s mansion”.
Why did Pompeo join the think tank? U.S. media pointed out that this may be related to Pompeo’s presidential election in 2024. On January 21, local time, the day after Biden officially took office as President of the United States, Pompeo tweeted, “1384 days”, which is the remaining days left before the 2024 presidential election. Fox News believes that Pompeo is counting down the presidential election.
According to the Capitol Hill, Pompeo served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency before becoming Secretary of State. It is widely believed that Pompeo has the ambition to run for president. He may compete with many Republican presidential candidates in the 2024 presidential election to succeed Trump as the Republican leader, provided that Rump no longer runs for election.
Axios pointed out that by allying with conservative think tanks, Pompeo can not only keep an eye on discussions that are vital to the Republican Party, but also maintain close contact with the Republican “goldenary”. According to the U.S. media, the Hudson Institute not only allows Pompeo to continue to participate in policy discussions, but also provides him with a platform to criticize the Biden administration.
However, even if Pompeo runs, his political prospects will not be as smooth as he thought. The Capitol Hill noted that Pompeo was often criticized for making political statements during his tenure as Secretary of State. After his departure, Foreign Policy magazine also published a special article criticizing his diplomatic approach, accusing him of putting his personal ambitions above the national interest and using power for personal gain, which can be regarded as the worst Secretary of State in history.
Where have the former Secretaries of State gone after leaving office?
After leaving office, U.S. government officials usually choose to work in enterprises, law firms, think tanks or other institutions. Others set up their own consulting companies, and they may seek opportunities to re-enter the government. Public officials shuttle back and forth between government agencies and private organizations, which is also known as Washington’s “revolving door”.
Hillary, then Secretary of State of the Obama administration, first participated in the 2016 presidential election as the Democratic presidential candidate after leaving office. After losing the election, Hillary established a “Common Progress” political action committee. On January 2, 2020, Hillary also officially became the president of Queen’s University of Belfast in Northern Ireland.
After withdrawing from politics, former U.S. Secretary of State Kissinger was hired as a professor at Georgetown University, an adviser to the Center for International Strategic Studies at Georgetown University, and a senior researcher of the Appence Society and chairman of the International Advisory Committee of Chase Manhattan Bank. Subsequently, Kissinger also founded Kissinger United Consulting Company.
There are also people like Pompeo who have moved from government departments to think tanks or private enterprises. For example, former U.S. transportation secretary Xiaolan Zhao, who just resigned from the Trump cabinet, joined the Hudson Institute to lead a public policy project centered on labor and transportation policy. Tina Powell, a former deputy assistant for national security affairs, returned to work at Goldman Sachs after leaving office.
However, there are also examples of giving up their careers. According to the Financial Times, Trump’s first Secretary of State Tillerson left the State Department and operated a horse farm in his hometown of Texas.
