President Donald Trump shocked the media and even members of his own administration when he announced yet another high-ranking official would be leaving the White House — this time, his top diplomat.
On Tuesday morning, the president named current CIA Director Mike Pompeo to succeed outgoing State Secretary Rex Tillerson. The move comes months after rumors circulated that there was a growing ideological rift between Tillerson and Trump, with many media analysts saying they were surprised the former Exxon-Mobile CEO didn’t get the boot far earlier into Trump’s term.
After the announcement, the president briefly appeared before the press en route to California to inspect prototypes for his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall. During that briefing, the president acknowledged differences between Tillerson and himself, citing their respective stances on the controversial Iran nuclear deal as an example. Trump wished the outgoing State Secretary well, and thanked him for his service to his country.
Now, all eyes are on Pompeo as the CIA chief is now expected to undergo yet another confirmation hearing by members of the U.S. Senate. Although Pompeo has already undergone the trials for his current job, his shift in cabinet positions mandates another appearance at Capitol Hill. However, seeing as he’s been confirmed before, it isn’t likely he’ll see a whole lot of pushback from the Republican-controlled upper chamber.
Hear the president himself comment on all of this and more in the video below.
~ Liberty Planet
