Mike Pompeo: «Trump Tariffs Damage the U.S.»
«The global political climate changes — Mike Pompeo doesn’t.» That could well have been the title of the fireside chat at the 16th Annual Investment Meeting, as America’s former top diplomat under the first Trump administration (2017) took to the stage.
In reality, the session was titled: «The Geopolitical Reset: Power, Alliances, and the Future of the World Order." The visibly slimmer 61-year-old Republican used the opportunity to present some of his often provocative views:
Mike Pompeo on...
... the Palestine conflict
«America must lead. That was clearly demonstrated by the resolution of the fighting in Gaza, which only came about due to the pressure President Trump placed on both sides. Can a two-state solution resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians? I have serious doubts. A two-state solution can only work if there is a non-extremist Palestinian leadership in both Gaza and the West Bank. And that is currently not the case in either place.»
... the biggest risks facing the U.S.
«We’ve never seen anything like this! A foreign government can now influence your children and grandchildren through social media and online networks. Washington must push back forcefully. Cyber risks are increasing — no doubt about it — and they were already high on the agenda of our U.S. intelligence services when I was CIA Director (January 2017 – April 2018).»
... U.S. relations with the Muslim world:
«The Arab Gulf states of the GCC are our most important allies in the Islamic world. But we must not ignore the populous Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan. They have to be part of the conversation.»
More than 800 conference participants listened intently to the “hawk” Pompeo at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers business hotel (Photo: Gérard Al-Fil).
... the People's Republic of China:
«I heard that a majority of the audience here at the 10th Annual Investment Summit voted and sees the United States, not China, as the biggest geopolitical risk in the coming year, 2026. Dear delegates, are you seriously telling me that your pension funds are fully invested in the Chinese currency, the Renminbi?»
... the hawkish tariff policy of the second Trump government:
«I’m against these high tariffs. They slow down U.S. economic growth — plain and simple. President Trump should have used diplomatic means instead to counter foreign import tariffs on American products.»
