Former U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo, who served under former President Donald Trump, visited the Oklahoma Christian University campus to campaign with Senator James Lankford on Wednesday. Pompeo said he supports Lankford for reelection during the forum.
“So happy to be here to support you today to make sure that you get six more years,” Pompeo said.
Before the forum, KOCO News reported Lankford welcoming Pompeo to Oklahoma.
“I am pleased to be able to welcome my friend Mike Pompeo to be able to be here in Oklahoma with us,” Lankford said. “We have been friends for 10 years when we first came into the House of Representatives together, so grateful that he’s here and this conversation today will be on foreign policy, obviously a lot of what’s happening in Afghanistan.”
The forum primarily discussed the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and the U.S.’s plans to withdraw troops by Aug. 31.
During the campaign at Oklahoma Christian, Pompeo spoke about how the Trump administration tried to withdraw troops.
“It’s been hard to watch for me. The current administration had roughly 2,500 folks in the country just like we did, and it fell apart on them,” Pompeo said. “What you are seeing would never happen if we were still in office.”
Pompeo continued to discuss the relationship between the U.S. and Afghanistan.
“Don’t forget, the Taliban knew we had crushed the Caliphate and ISIS. The Taliban knew that we had killed Qasem Soleimani,” Pompeo said. “They knew that our administration was serious.”
Pompeo said although the Trump administration did not finish withdrawing all U.S. military forces, they prioritized evacuating U.S. civilians before the final military withdrawal. Pompeo commented on President Joe Biden’s actions regarding the withdrawal.
“[Biden] withdrew our military while there were still 10,000 Americans there,” Pompeo said. “He closed down Bagram Air Force Base while we still needed it.”
According to Fox 25, Lankford told reporters about how the U.S. provided help for people in Afghanistan.
“I absolutely think that we need to welcome refugees from Afghanistan into Oklahoma and into the United States,” Lankford said.
According to the Oklahoman, Pompeo talked about other international concerns during the forum.
“In his remarks, Pompeo warned of the threat posed to the United States by China and said presidents of both parties had not taken China seriously enough,” the Oklahoman said.
During the forum, Pompeo said he worried China could be more aggressive.
“The Communist Party in China believes this is a nation in decline and that we have a weak president,” Pompeo said. “I worry about China more than other places. They believe deeply in the communist theories and they believe they can walk all over the United States.”
Pompeo concluded the forum with his faith and love for his country.
“We need to be faithful to each of those two things. The Lord first and our country second when we get that right,” Pompeo said. “I’m convinced America will continue to be this very special, most exceptional.”
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