Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said America’s credibility with its allies around the globe has been damaged by the “debacle” in Afghanistan and offered some recommendations on how the US can restore its standing in the world.
“Here’s the truth of the matter, this debacle will certainly harm America’s credibility with its friends and allies,” Pompeo told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “It’s already being talked about. You have seen some of it publicly. But there’s lots of talk in private about can this president, can this American leadership team that’s been assembled around President Biden, can they actually deliver?”
He said there’s a “massive disconnect” between what President Biden says is happening in Afghanistan and reports from the ground — as well as from Pentagon leaders — that contradict his claims.
“It certainly doesn’t appear that he understands, or, perhaps less, he’s just not that interested,” Pompeo said.
“He’s more focused on spending $3.5 trillion or creating diversity inside of our military. It’s impossible to explain how the president of the United States can go on TV and tell people that not only are people able to travel safely to the airport, when we can clearly see that that’s not the case, but he told the world that our allies weren’t concerned about what we were doing,” he added about reports of Americans being beaten at Taliban checkpoints and the mayhem taking place at the airport outside Kabul.
The former top diplomat said members of the British Parliament and French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are concerned about America as a “partner and ally.”
“This is dangerous. We’re just a few months into this administration, and American leadership has already walked off the stage. … President Biden talks about them — that America is back. It looks like we’re back. It looks like we’re back to Barack Obama. America apologizing, American weakness, and our adversaries not fearing us and our friends not trusting us,” he said.
Pompeo, who served as secretary of state in the Trump administration from 2018 to 2021, urged a course correction to “demonstrate to the world that we’re not harmless, indeed, we’re powerful.”
He recommended the Biden administration pull out of the talks in Vienna about rejoining the Obama-era Iranian nuclear deal, follow through on arms sales to Taiwan despite China’s objections, and assure President Volodymyr Zelensky that the US will prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from taking over parts of Ukraine “like they did under the Obama administration.”
He also suggested that the US not participate in the Olympics in Beijing next year because of China’s role in keeping the world community in the dark about the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic that was first reported in the city of Wuhan in December 2019.
“These are the kinds of things that world leaders are looking for. They’re looking to show American resolve and strength. I hope that the Biden team has it within them to deliver on these kinds of clear actions, not just words, but actions that will convince leaders around the world that we remain a strong force, a strong partner,” Pompeo said.
“And that will tell our adversaries a lot, too. It’ll tell them that you cannot challenge the United States without real costs being imposed on you,” he added.
