Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Friday that he will not run for president in 2024 “after much consideration and prayer.”
“It is simplest and most accurate to say that this decision is personal,” Pompeo said in a statement posted on Twitter. “The time is not right for me and my family. At each stage of my public service — as a soldier, as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and then as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and as your Secretary of State, I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to advance America in a way that fit the time and the moment.”
“This is not that time or that moment for me to seek elected office again,” he added.
Pompeo said that it has been “heartwarming and humbling” to hear from supporters who urged him to run “to defend our nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage, our families and our country as the most exceptional in the history of civilization.”
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“For now, Susan and I have concluded that we can best serve in roles we’ve been in before — as parents, Sunday school teachers, community leaders, and business leaders,” Pompeo continued. “To those of you who have been praying alongside Susan and me for discernment and wisdom, thank you. Don’t stop praying – not only for Susan, Nick, Rachael, and me, but for America to remain as a beacon to those seeking life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
“To those of you this announcement disappoints, my apologies. And to those of you this thrills, know that I’m 59 years-old,” he concluded. “There remain many more opportunities for which the timing might be more fitting as presidential leadership becomes even more necessary.”
