Pompeo considered auditioning for 2024 on trip to Israel while hosting at home

Intention to stay in politics

State Department officials tried to cram the genie in the bottle – they told reporters they should not attribute the phrase to the State Department, after sharing it with reporters, and insisted the fact that it was commonly used in Israel. This claim has left many Israelis scratching their heads.

The widely held assumption that Pompeo’s trip was as much about politics as it was politics is rooted in his track record of appearing to mix the two – first in the apparent service of a potential Senate candidate in Kansas and now with the feeling that ‘he could have presidential ambitions for 2024..

That impression was crowned by recent coffee meetings the secretary held at the State Department with Republican strategists and conservative media, according to two sources familiar with the meetings.

Within weeks of this administration’s end, Pompeo appears to be actively working in politics after Trump, recently inviting at least a small group of Republicans to meetings, including right-wing strategists and journalists.

A source close to the cafe rallies said that “as Mike Pompeo prepares to run, he wants to sit with people in Republican circles he hasn’t met, or he hasn’t spoken in a while. moment”.

“In the last few weeks, they’ve become more aggressive,” this source said of the meetings. “Pompeo tries to develop his contacts and he does so at all levels. He wants people who can raise funds, he wants people who give political advice, he wants people who can write and people who can speak.

Another source familiar with the thinking of Pompeo downplayed the presidential posture of the top US diplomat, saying “he’s always been someone who thinks about today.”

The source said they didn’t think the presidency was as active in Pompeo’s mind as many think and noted that Israel has long been a passion for him.

But other sources close to the secretary say he intends to stay in politics when President-elect Joe Biden takes office and is not expected to return to the private sector. Pompeo is “not done with the fight,” a source close to him told the State Department.

Pompeo could write a book, give speeches and join academic institutions or boards of directors when he leaves the state, two sources told CNN. It could also launch its own political platforms such as a super PAC so that it can give money to declining candidates across the country – a classic way to build political loyalty. But those details haven’t been fleshed out much, the sources say.

“Mike Pompeo is concentrating on his job as secretary of state, and he has not made any plans after the January 21 period,” added the source close to Pompeo.

“He keeps his cards close to his chest,” said a second source who has worked with Pompeo in the past. That said, the idea has enough public currency for someone to sell a “Mike Pompeo 2024” t-shirt on Amazon for $ 16.99.

“I think it’s pretty inevitable that he shows up,” said GOP strategist Doug Heye. “The challenge he will face, and others will face as well, is that many more will run only under Trump’s mantle, including senators, members of Congress and other former officials of the United Nations. administration.”

Nathan Gonzales, editor of the Inside Elections newsletter, adds that “it’s hard to know what Republican voters will actually be looking for in the next election … It is only with a little distance and time that we know whether being closely aligned with the president is an asset or a liability. “

“Concentrate on your daily work!

On several occasions over the past few months, Pompeo has worked on judgments that appeal to conservative and evangelical voters who have strongly supported Trump.

During this week’s trip to Israel, Pompeo also visited the site of Jesus’ baptism and announced that the United States would identify organizations that boycott Israeli settlements as anti-Semitic and ensure that they do not receive any US funding. , a step that Amnesty International has described as an attack on freedom of expression. .

The visit was well received by evangelical leaders, such as Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of the Family Leadership Summit, who said CNN also visited the same winery last year.

But many analysts believe Pompeo has gone too far. “The itinerary and the lack of a largely substantial agenda suggests to me that it has a lot more to do with Pompeo’s aspirations in 2024 than with the realities of what faces in 2020, particularly as it relates to the game. Israeli, ”Miller said. , former negotiator in the Middle East.

“It works very well with evangelicals. It works very well with about a quarter of American Jewry, it works with conservative Republicans. And these are questions that are very volatile and play extremely well,” said Miller, who is also a CNN. analyst.

religious freedom

In recent months, Pompeo has spoken at a mega-church in Texas, appeared at the Conservative Voters Summit on Values, and gave the keynote address for a conservative, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Christian organization. abortion in Florida.

Earlier this year, Pompeo traveled to Iowa for the Family Leadership Summit – an event hosted by conservative organization The Family Leader that has become a frequent stop for Republican politicians.

And Pompeo has widely publicized his own evangelical faith, speaking often in official interviews, mentioning the Bible he keeps on his desk, and publicly describing rights as emanating from God and not from government. A former senior State Department official said they viewed Pompeo’s comments on religion “as largely political, simply because evangelicals are an important part of the president’s political base.”

“It’s a base that Pompeo can communicate with because they see him as one of them,” the official said. “This not only reflects the Secretary’s willingness to play one of the President’s strengths, but also fits in perfectly with his own presidential ambitions.”