DES MOINES, Iowa – Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addressed approximately 1200 conservative Christians and social conservatives at the 10th Annual Family Leadership Summit hosted by The FAMiLY Leader.
He admitted that being out of office has been challenging.
“It was emotionally very difficult for me. It has been almost six months now since the administration left office, and I’ll be honest with you that it has been tough to watch what is going on and what has gone on in these six months,” Pompeo said.
“People say to me all the time I bet you’re glad to have that big burden lifted from your shoulders, and I have to tell you I’m not. I wish that I was still there. I wish that I still had the opportunity to do the work that we did for four years, protecting your security, your freedom, protecting your rights,” he added.
Pompeo also admitted that not every problem can be fixed in the political realm.
“I want to say something I believe it’s very straightforward; you may not hear it from some other elected officials. All of the crises facing our nation today, the big challenges that we’re all confronted with, aren’t going to be solved by any politician. It’s just; it’s not the way the Lord works. Our problem isn’t the people affecting change, the hearts and minds, because we know only that Christ has the capacity to do that. And he will put principled men and women in those positions but it is he who will make the changes that our nation so richly needs, and will defend our nation at its most dire time of need,” he said.
Pompeo pointed out that he didn’t always make friends as Secretary of State, launching into a harsh critique of the Chinese Communist Party.
“When we confronted the Chinese Communist Party, that godless party that is doing so much destruction, not only to its own people in the churches in China, and people who want to practice their faith in China and the Uighur Muslims in the West. We know it wants to export that here at home, and when we called them out on that, they sanctioned me. I can no longer travel to China, it’s just fine,” he said, pointing out that they didn’t have the courage to do it while he was still in office.
Pompeo said every Christian should adopt The FAMiLY Leader’s mission “to inspire Christ-like leadership in the home, churches, and government.”
“If we get that piece of it right, we will do what politicians have failed to do for an awfully long time,” he said.
Pompeo said the core of America’s problems is in its homes.
“I will tell you that as we stare at the problem sets that we all are aware of today, we see in our homes, on television, that the breakdown of the American family is at the core of most of them. It’s why the left attacks, is why the left wants to undermine the family unit, upon which this nation was built, and you’re all here because those attacks you know strike at the very concept of America,” he said.
“You are right that our nation is threatened, you are right to be concerned. That’s why I’m counting on you, people of faith […] to champion our faith, to do so fearlessly and to champion the American values that you know, have made this the most exceptional nation in the history of civilization,” Pompeo added.
He pivoted to the abortion issue.
“I had the unique opportunity when I was the Secretary of State to work to make sure that not a single dollar that came to the State Department ended up in the hands of an abortion provider somewhere in the world, not one of your taxpayer dollars. It was important as a first principle no taxpayer dollars should ever go to any abortion anywhere, but we also knew that devaluing human life undermines families, and it is a hallmark of communist totalitarian regimes around the world,” Pompeo argued.
He also highlighted the Trump Administration and his work in support of Israel, traveling to Judea and Samaria, moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, making clear that the United States did not view Israel as an occupying power.
Addressing domestic issues, he criticized Critical Race Theory.
“You all see the garbage they’re trying to teach in our schools today comes under various guises, often called critical race theory but suffice it today. It is a suggestion that somehow our nation is inherently and systemically racist. This is a nation that has borne the costs and benefits associated with equality like no other nation in the world, we should be proud of it. We should not challenge our founding,” Pompeo said.
“You saw the Chinese Communist Party sit across from my successor in Anchorage, Alaska, and berate the American Secretary of State, talk about the greatness of BLM and talk about the rights that we had and said you America are no better than we are. That is a godless nation, challenging and God-fearing people and our leadership must stand up against these threats,” he added.
He pointed out that the Chinese Communist Party cheered when religious liberty was undermined during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They cheered when they saw city councils or county commissions or governors say, ‘No, you can’t worship freely with your fellow believers.’ We all know that we could do this. We figured out a way to do this safely we could keep health in mind and still worship Jesus Christ. When we begin to diminish our faith and to act in ways that are not only inconsistent with our constitution but deeply immoral. We become less secure,” Pompeo argued.
He also pointed out growing crime rates in America’s major cities.
“We can talk about many reasons that this exists: the breakdown of the family, the absence of community, fewer people who are worshipping. There are lots of reasons, but make no mistake about it, one of the reasons is that we have often in our major cities in America given up the will to actually hold those who commit the crimes accountable for the crimes that they commit,” Pompeo stated.
He also claimed that criminal justice reform has just been an excuse to release dangerous criminals back onto the street.
Pompeo also addressed the crisis at the southern border that, he states, has contributed to more criminals on the streets.
“We now have an enormous problem of Chinese fentanyl traversing through Mexico coming through our southern border. It’s now on the streets of every community in the United States of America, including right here in Iowa. We each of us have a responsibility to make sure our leaders prevent this from happening,” he added.
Pompeo wanted to close on an optimistic note.
“I’m very confident that this resilient nation will awaken, that there will be a revival, and that this nation will continue to be the most prosperous nation in the history of humankind,” he said.
Listen to Pompeo’s full remarks below:
