IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Mike Pompeo says he has 'ruled out' running for a Senate seat in 2020

The secretary of state said he loves Kansas, his home state, but would not look to return to Congress. "I'm here, I'm loving it."
Get more newsLiveon

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "ruled out" a bid for the Senate from Kansas in 2020.

"I love Kansas," he said Thursday during a live interview on "Today." Pompeo represented the state in the House before taking over the State Department

Pompeo added that he will serve as secretary of state as long as Trump will allow him to.

"It's ruled out," he said of a possible bid. "I'm here, I'm loving it."

Last month, The Washington Post reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had urged personally Pompeo to run for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Pat Roberts, who is retiring. Pompeo had since met with Roberts.

In interviews over the past month, Pompeo did not rule out running for Roberts' seat, only saying that he intended to serve Trump as long as the president wanted him in his current role.

"Lots of folks have reached out to me and suggested I ought to do it,” Pompeo told Fox News last month. “I have suggested to them that I have a very full plate as secretary of state and I intend to keep doing this so long as President Trump will commit to it.”

Pompeo, who also served as CIA director before heading the State Department, spoke out before the summit with North Korea next week.

When asked if the U.S. was considering an official end to the war with North Korea, or scaling back the number of troops stationed on the peninsula, Pompeo responded that he didn't "want to get into the negotiations" before the meeting took place.

He said he was optimistic that progress could be made at the summit toward complete denuclearization.

"That's what we need to get for the American people. To keep the American people safe, we have to reduce the threat from a nuclear-armed North Korea," he said. "And then in turn, we can work on peace and security on the peninsula and a brighter future for the North Korean people."

Pompeo also addressed Hoda Muthana, the Alabama woman who joined ISIS but who now wants to return to America. He denied that she's a U.S. citizen or has a claim to return.

"She is a terrorist," he said, acknowledging that Muthana "may have been born here."

"She is not a U.S. citizen," he continued.