Today, Donald Trump participated in the swearing-in of former CIA Director Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State in a ceremony at the White House.
Pompeo was sworn in as the 70th US secretary of state after Senate confirmed his nomination. His swearing in on Wednesday was merely ceremonial as he had already been formally sworn-in by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito last Thursday afternoon.
He is Trump's second Secretary of State and was chosen after his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, was fired by Trump in March after months of disagreements with the president.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted along party lines to recommend Pompeo for secretary of State, with all Democrats on the committee opposing Pompeo's nomination, primarily because of what they called his hawkish views and harboring a deep hatred against Muslims.The Senate confirmed Pompeo as President Trump's next secretary of State after a 57-42 vote. It was one of the slimmest margins for the job in recent history.
President Trump said during the ceremony that he has "no doubt" Mike Pompeo will be making America "proud" as the nation's chief diplomat.
"You've earned my deepest respect and admiration and trust and you'll see why over the coming years," Mr. Trump told him before an audience of State Department employees. The president added that he has "absolute confidence he'll do an incredible job as the nation's 70th secretary of state.
After Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office, Pompeo told the crowd of colleagues, family and friends that he was deeply humbled by the opportunity to serve the American people. "This responsibility comes more sobering than we consider the many threats to our prosperity, security and liberty. Mr. President, I promise you, my team and I will be unrelenting in confronting those threats," Pompeo said.
The secretary promised that under his stewardship, the State Department would "deploy tough diplomacy when necessary" and "make sure America is always a respected and principled leader on the world stage."
