CNN
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Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday he is not running for president in 2024.
“This isn’t our moment,” Pompeo said on Fox News.
Pompeo, who had been fueling speculation about a potential bid, said choosing not to run in 2024 was a “deeply personal decision” for him and his wife, Susan. He had traveled to a series of early voting states in recent months.
Pompeo claimed Donald Trump did not factor into his decision, but he took a few shots at the former president, whose Cabinet Pompeo served in as both director of the CIA and secretary of state.
“I think Americans are thirsting for people making arguments, not just tweets. I think they’re looking for someone who can clearly articulate their vision for what parents ought to be doing to help their kids be successful in schools and how we take back crime from our streets and cities,” Pompeo said.
He continued, “I don’t know if that will end up being President Trump that the American people choose or if that’s who our party will choose to be its nominee. But I’m hopeful it will be those debates about real arguments, things that really matter.”
In a written statement, Pompeo left open the possibility of a run in the future and said, “There remain many more opportunities for which the timing might be more fitting as presidential leadership becomes even more necessary.”
The former CIA director launched the political group Champion American Values PAC in 2021 that aimed to support conservative candidates ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
More recently, he toured earlier this year for his book, “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love,” in which he claimed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley plotted with Trump’s daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law Jared Kushner to try to become Trump’s vice president.
On whether he would back someone in the GOP 2024 primary, Pompeo said he would “see how it plays out” and said he may not endorse Trump.
“I want to find that person who cannot only talk about the things that matter to every family in America but who can actually build an organization, create a team and deliver that for the American people. That’s what matters to me. And when I figure out who that right person is, I will, like I’ve always done in my life, I’ll get behind him and do everything I can to help him.”
Pompeo, who was a close ally of Trump’s during his administration, is the first person to have served as both director of the CIA and secretary state. He was previously a congressman representing Kansas’ 4th District but left office to join the Trump administration.
Pompeo had taken veiled shots at Trump in recent months, including in his remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, in which Pompeo said, “We can’t become the left, following celebrity leaders with their own brand of identity politics — those with fragile egos who refuse to acknowledge reality.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
