[Column] Politically ambitious Pompeo looking further

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a joint press conference with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on June 14. (photo pool)

Summit would not have been successful without US Secretary of State’s contribution

The leading roles in the North Korea-US summit that was held in Singapore on June 12 were played by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Though US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo may not have received as much of the spotlight as the two leaders, the show could not have gone on without his supporting act.

If Pompeo had told Trump that Kim was not going to denuclearize or could not be trusted after his two visits to North Korea, the summit would not have happened. Pompeo now finds himself in the same boat with Trump, with their fates tied together. Progress on the North Korean nuclear issue will work to the advantage of Pompeo as politician, while the lack thereof will work to his detriment.

There is quite a bit of talk about Pompeo’s political future, though it’s still mostly water cooler scuttlebutt. If Trump manages to get reelected in 2020, some say, Pompeo might be the Republican Party’s next presidential candidate in 2024. While it’s futile to talk about what will happen six or seven years in the future, this could be key to understanding the momentum behind North Korean nuclear talks. Since Pompeo served four terms as a Republican congressman from 2010 to 2016, it’s undeniable that he has political ambition.

Granting the ebb and flow of political fortunes, currently there aren’t any obvious contenders in the Republican Party who could rival Pompeo. Until early this year, Nikki Haley – who formerly served on the South Carolina House of Representatives and as the state’s governor and is the US’s current ambassador to the United Nations – was regarded as a rising star and a close aide of Trump’s, but she’s not a member of Trump’s inner circle.

Trump was particularly annoyed that Jon Lerner, a deputy for Haley who played a leading role in the “never Trump” campaign, was appointed to be a national security advisor for Vice President Mike Pence in April, news website Axios reported. The New York Times added fuel to the fire by suggesting that Haley and Pence might run against Trump in the Republican primaries for the 2020 presidential election.

The general view is that Pence’s political impact has also receded relative to last year. He frequently holds political fundraisers at Trump Hotel, near the White House in Washington, but some joke that they aren’t sure whether the money is intended for Trump’s reelection campaign or for Pence’s own bid at the presidency.

In April, Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House and the leading figure of the Republican Party, announced that he would be retiring from politics when his term ends in Jan. 2019 so that he can spend more time with his children. While some see this as a “tactical retreat,” while Ryan bides his time until Trump’s power weakens, for now this keeps him off the list of likely presidential contenders.

Compared to these three figures, Pompeo has been methodically building his political base. Along with his four terms in the House of Representatives, Pompeo has been gaining executive experience first as director of the CIA and now as Secretary of State. He reportedly earned the trust of his staff while leading the CIA. Gina Haspel, the new director of the CIA, was reportedly nominated on Pompeo’s recommendation.

After taking office as Secretary of State in May, Pompeo sent an email to department staff to let them know he was lifting the hiring freeze at the department. Reversing the freeze, which had been put in place by Pompeo’s predecessor, Rex Tillerson, breathed new energy into the State Department. “The mood is much better than under Tillerson,” one department employee said.

Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent

Pompeo holds strongly conservative positions on quite a few issues – immigration, the Iran nuclear deal and climate change – and last year he even hinted at regime change in North Korea. But since entering negotiations with North Korea, he has shown remarkable flexibility while broadening his understanding of the North Koreans’ perspective. To be sure, that will not bring about unilateral concessions by the North. That explains the considerable risk facing Pompeo the politician.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent

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