If Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s line during a press conference this week that there would be “a smooth transition to a second Trump administration” was a joke, as some deduced by the smirk on his face, it wasn’t a good one. “Outrageous” and “absolutely disgraceful” are among the words diplomatic sources used to describe the moment, in which Pompeo appeared to troll reporters concerned by the very real possibility of unrest as Joe Biden takes the reins from Donald Trump. For the most part, however, diplomats were unsurprised. “Pompeo is always going to be a pompous ass,” said Brett Bruen, a former foreign service officer. “We’ve come to expect that.”
Even if his remark was on brand, concern has rippled through the ranks over the consequences of America’s top diplomat questioning Biden’s electoral win. “He is playing with fire now,” Bruen continued. “They are casting aspersions at some of the most fundamental pillars in the process. And that is going to hearten and strengthen the arguments that nondemocratic leaders are making that democracy is fundamentally flawed, that they don’t have to concede or concede in a timely fashion when they or others lose. It’s just a terrible example.” (According to recent reports, Trump might choose not to concede the race at all.) Joke or not, sources said the remark was out of line. “You can’t get up at the podium as secretary of state and joke about a coup,” a former ambassador said.
As is often the case with Pompeo, the former Kansas congressman seems to have been motivated by personal ambition rather than American diplomacy. He’s widely viewed as having presidential aspirations. And much like his frequent crisscrossing of America while secretary of state, his so-called “Madison Dinners,” and his potentially illegal Republican National Convention address, Pompeo’s decision to cast doubt on a Biden victory is seen as groundwork for an eventual White House bid. Along with other perceived 2024 hopefuls—Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley, and Nikki Haley, top of mind—and Mitch McConnell as he vies for a win in Georgia’s Senate runoffs, Pompeo seems to have made the calculation that Trump’s influence on the Republican Party will outlast his administration. Playing to the boss, then, is the price for winning over his crucial base.
Of course the other calculation Pompeo and Trump-loyal Republicans have made is that America’s institutions can survive the strain they’re causing—that democracy can hang on long enough for them to secure their political fortunes. It’s true that the risk of total collapse is relatively low. But there are other issues at stake, such as the U.S.’s reputation abroad, and how the country is perceived by allies and adversaries alike. While foreign leaders were quick to congratulate Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, diplomats at embassies abroad have not received guidance from the State Department about how to discuss the election. “In previous transitions the outgoing administration was professional and serious in its preparation of the incoming president and team,” said another former ambassador. “This to me just underscores what a bunch of amateurs—in addition to authoritarians—these guys are.”
The first former ambassador drew a sharp contrast to how Barack Obama’s administration handled Trump’s election. This person recalled a secure video conference convened by National Security Council officials in the twilight of the Obama administration to discuss a policy issue, during which the message to diplomats was: “We will have a government of moral integrity until the very last moment.” They added, “There was a very strong tone from the most senior political appointees of that administration to the very senior career people: Please serve these next people as faithfully as you served us.”
Pompeo, on the other hand, is so petulant that, according to CNN, his State Department is refusing the Biden team access to messages from foreign leaders. Still, diplomats are hopeful about the transition—led by career diplomat Dan Smith at State and Linda Thomas-Greenfield on the Biden team—Pompeo’s remarks aside. “The State Department is ready,” a former senior State Department official in touch with their former colleagues told me. “It should be smooth and productive for all involved.”
But they added, “It won’t surprise you to learn that Pompeo won’t be missed when he leaves State.”
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