When asked how long he intends to stay in his role on Monday, Mike Pompeo joked that he'll continue being the U.S. Secretary of State until President Donald Trump "tweets" him out of office.
Pompeo was asked the question during an appearance at the Global Enterprise Summit (GES) in his home state of Kansas.
"I'm going to be there until he tweets me out of office," Pompeo said, prompting applause and laughter from the audience. "Which I'm not counting on, at least today"
Asked how long he plans to be in his role, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells a crowd in Kansas, "I'm going to be there until he tweets me out of office." https://t.co/4xmpLtAGK2 pic.twitter.com/tx0B5VF74e
— ABC News (@ABC) March 18, 2019
Pompeo then went on to address an earlier question: "What's it like to work as the Secretary of State?"
"It has been an enormous privilege to be part of the Trump administration," he said. "He is truly a leader who provides guidance to me. He says, 'Mike this is the direction we want to go.'"
"It is oftentimes different from what we've done before. I think that's a great thing. It gives us a real opportunity to partner in different ways and build coalitions in different ways," the secretary of state added. "He gives me that guidance and then he sets me free and holds me accountable. He demands the State Department deliver on the things we've said."
Pompeo's joke about Trump firing him on Twitter was in reference to his predecessor Rex Tillerson, who the president dismissed in a tweet last March. According to Tillerson's top deputy, Trump didn't discuss the firing with the former American energy executive beforehand.
Pompeo, a former Kansas congressman, was named Secretary of State last April. Although he has eliminated the possibility of a Kansas Senate bid in 2020, he has not yet ruled out running in 2024.
"I try to just avoid ruling things out when there's others who are in control," Pompeo told the Kansas City Star over the weekend.
When questioned about where he expects to be career-wise in five years time at the summit on Monday, Pompeo said "it is hard to know what I'll be doing."
"I hope I'm still finding a place to have an impact and a place to serve as well," he added.
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