Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday took a swipe at former President Trump ahead of a speech to conservatives in Nevada, saying many in the Republican Party are “tired of losing.”
“We were told we’d get tired of winning. But I’m tired of losing. And so are most Republicans,” Pompeo tweeted, promoting his appearance later in the day at the Republican Jewish Coalition gathering in Las Vegas.
Pompeo’s tweet was a reference to Trump’s refrain during campaign rallies in 2016 and 2020 that the GOP and United States more broadly would get “tired of winning” because of all the successes of his administration.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) took a similar shot at Trump earlier in the week.
“How about this? When Donald Trump won in 2016, he said we were going to get so tired of winning we would ask him to stop winning so much,” Christie told a gathering of Republican governors, noting the party lost House seats in 2018, the White House in 2020 and winnable Senate races in 2022.
“I’m tired of losing,” Christie added.
Pompeo has openly teased a possible 2024 White House bid, appearing in early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire. He has held back from directly naming Trump in his criticisms, but has in recent days taken veiled shots at his former boss.
Trump announced his 2024 candidacy on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate, though Pompeo told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that Trump’s announcement would have no bearing on his own decision on whether to run for president.
Pompeo is one of several former Trump administration officials who are weighing potential 2024 presidential bids, along with former Vice President Mike Pence and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
The former secretary of State will join other potential GOP presidential contenders set to address the conference in Nevada this weekend, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Pence.