SECRETARY POMPEO: Good morning. The United States is very proud that we had a long overdue meeting here of the UN Security Council today and we are equally proud to stand with the Venezuelan people as they protest and restore democracy in their nation. Former President Maduro’s socialist experiment has ruined a once proud nation, as I said earlier, and we’re – we stand with the Venezuelan people to restore democracy and return that country to its rightful condition. Got a whole nation starving, massive malnutrition, refugees fleeing. This is an international crisis to be sure. And nations like Cuba and Russia and China have shamefully cast their lot in support of the former president. They don’t have the best interests of the Venezuelan people at heart.

We hope that every nation will join us in recognizing interim president Juan Guaido. We hope too that each of those nations will ensure that they disconnect their financial systems from the Maduro regime and allow the assets that belong to the Venezuelan people to go to the rightful governors of that state.

We hope too that this peaceful transition can continue. We must stand for the rule of law and support the leader who the Venezuelan people have affirmed through their constitution as the interim president of their country.

Happy to take a couple questions.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MR PALLADINO: Reuters, Michelle Nichols.

QUESTION: Hi. Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Hi.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Michelle Nichols from Reuters. Couple of questions. First of all, in there the Russian ambassador had a very direct question for you about the U.S. taking military action. If you’d like to answer that here, feel free.

What economic measures does the U.S. plan to impose on Venezuela? And do you think the Venezuelan opposition should assume the UN seat here, and does the U.S. plan to draft a General Assembly resolution to make that happen?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Michelle, let me take two of those three questions. First, this is the first step of what we hope will be real progress here at the United Nations. We think every member of the United Nations ought to join in support of Venezuelan people, so we will continue to work to get more and more support. We’re already a great deal along the way and we do think that there will be appropriate resolutions when the time is right, and we’ll certainly support those. They won’t come just from us, they’ll come from other nations who care deeply about the Venezuelan people as well.

The other two questions involve what the United States will do next. I’m not going to speculate or hypothesize. I know only this: we’re determined to support the Venezuelan people so that they can ultimately have the democratic institutions they deserve and they can return this once vibrant, wealthy, wonderful nation to its rightful place.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary —

MR PALLADINO: Voice of America. Voice of America, Celia Mendoza.

QUESTION: Thank you. Thank you, Secretary. So what exactly are you prepared to do for the Venezuelan people? You had announced the $20 million in humanitarian aid, and also today you said something in your speech: it is “time for every nation to pick a side.” Will the U.S. consider secondary sanctions against countries who recognize the Maduro regime, like Washington did in Iran?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So the United States has already done a great deal for the Venezuelan people. We will continue to do that. You mentioned the initial monies, $20 million, to ensure that food and medicine and we can get some level of order to begin to be restored. There’ll be much more to do. We’ll call upon other nations. We will join with them to create development and humanitarian assistance projects that actually deliver for the Venezuelan people. Those are all part of what will come when we get the democratic changes that we’re working towards achieving.

You had a second question too?

QUESTION: About secondary sanctions possibly for nations —

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, again, I’m not going to speculate on what other processes the United States might undertake, but know that we think now that the National Assembly is the rightful governing body. They’ve chose interim President Juan Guaido to represent them and so we think that the resources that belong to the Venezuelan people ought to go to the leaders that they have under their constitution duly elected.

Anybody else?

QUESTION: Sanction anybody that will do business with them?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I’m not going to speculate on what we’re going to do next.

MR PALLADINO: (Inaudible) final question. Associated Press, Edith Lederer, please. Edith?

I’m sorry.

QUESTION: (Off-mike.)

MR PALLADINO: (Inaudible) CBS right here. (Inaudible.)

QUESTION: Okay, thank you. Thank you. Mr. Secretary – Mr. Secretary, it’s Pamela Falk from CBS. How concerned are you about the military-to-military contact between Russia and the deliveries of equipment last month to Venezuela, and have you had any contact with the military of Venezuela? Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO: So I spoke this morning about Cuban security and Russian influence, Russian interference. We want the Venezuelan people to have their say. And so the Russians have chosen to support the Maduro regime, I hope they’ll change their way, I hope they will come to see that the rightful people to run this country are those that the Venezuelan people chose. And so we’ll have conversations with every country, including the Russians. We’ll talk with the Chinese, we’ll talk with everyone. We think the whole world ought to get behind what it is that the Venezuelan people have demanded for their country.

Thank you. Thank you all.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Good morning. On behalf of President Trump and the American people I first want to thank Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas of the Dominican Republic, the current president of the Security Council, for scheduling this meeting. My former colleague, Ambassador Haley, lobbied for a year to get the council to address Venezuela but her pleas fell on deaf ears. This meeting is long overdue. And you all know why it’s overdue.

Take Carlos Aquino, a 37-year-old construction worker, weeping over the tiny coffin of his deceased infant son who had died of starvation.

Such scenes of misery are now the norm in Nicolas Maduro’s Venezuela where millions of children are suffering from malnutrition and starvation thanks to a socialist experiment that caused the economy to collapse. This human misery isn’t a secret. Stories like this one are well documented by our press corps. You can read about men like Carlos every day. People like him are why the United States has called this meeting.

We’re here because Maduro has reduced ordinary Venezuelans who once lived in prosperity to rooting through dumpsters to find something to eat.

We’re here because scores of Venezuelan women, some of them teenagers, have fled Maduro’s madness to other countries, and in desperation turned to prostitution to survive.

We’re here because of Maria Vielma, a school psychologist who said through tears, “We have a government that is dedicated to destroying, not to constructing.”

Another man, a farmer named Vladimir Sequera, who never got more than a sixth grade education but he hoped that his stepdaughter Gabriela could fulfill her dreams of being a lawyer – she now says, “Our whole future has been taken away.” That future, for her and all Venezuelans, didn’t magically disappear on its own. The Maduro regime’s failed policies, oppression, and corruption stole that future.

The United States is helping to recover a brighter future for Venezuela. We’re here to urge all nations to support the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people as they try to free themselves from former President Maduro’s illegitimate mafia state.

The humanitarian situation demands action now; it demands action today. Today nine out of ten citizens live in poverty. Millions lack access to drinking water and food. Three out of four hospitals have been abandoned. Three million Venezuelans have been forced to flee their homeland thereby flooding the region and threatening international peace and security. Maduro’s prisons are full of political prisoners unjustly behind bars and the graveyards hold dissidents and protesters that have been killed by this regime.

I want to talk to you about just one of them, a member of the city council of Caracas named Fernando Alban. Just four months ago he came here to this city to meet with the world’s representatives who gather here every year during the United Nations General Assembly. He came here to speak about the failures of the Maduro regime and about his hopes for a more democratic and a more prosperous future for his country.

After that he went home. He went home to the country that he loved. Maduro’s secret police arrested him at the airport as soon as he landed. He died in their custody three days later and the pathetic explanations for this death have convinced absolutely no one.

The time is now to support the Venezuelan people, to recognize the new democratic government led by interim President Guaido, and end this nightmare. No excuses.

The United States stands with the Venezuelan people. So far, many other nations have chosen to do the same and they too have recognized the legitimate government of interim President Guaido. The United States stands proudly with you as we stand together in support of Venezuela. You knew the Venezuelan people did not have a moment to spare.

And now it’s time for every other nation to pick a side. No more delays, no more games. Either you stand with the forces of freedom or you’re in league with Maduro and his mayhem.

Some countries have publicly taken former President Maduro’s side. China, Russia, Syria, and Iran are just four of them. Just this morning we tried to find a way for this council to speak in one voice in support of the Venezuelan people and the democratic ideals through a presidential statement on this council, but our Russian and Chinese colleagues refused to let this move forward. It’s not a surprise that those who rule without democracy in their own countries are trying to prop up Maduro while he is in dire straits.

Nor are these countries supporting international norms as they cynically claim. China and Russia are propping up a failed regime in hopes of recovering billions of dollars in ill-considered investments and assistance made over the years. This money was never intended to help the Venezuelan people, it lined the pockets of the Maduro regime, its cronies, and its benefactors.

But no regime has done more to sustain the nightmarish condition of the Venezuelan people than the regime in Havana. For years, Cuban security and intelligence thugs, invited into Venezuela by Maduro himself and those around him, have sustained this illegitimate rule. They have trained Maduro’s security and intelligence henchmen in Cuba’s own worst practices. Cuba’s interior ministry even provides a former – provides former President Maduro’s personal security. Members of this body often use their microphones here to condemn foreign interference in internal affairs. Let’s be crystal clear: the foreign power meddling in Venezuela today is Cuba. Cuba has directly made matters worse and the United States and our partners are the true friends of the Venezuelan people.

On Wednesday, the Venezuelan people chose to take their country back on the anniversary of the day the dictator Marcos Jimenez Perez was forced out of power back in 1958.

We call for Venezuelans to work now together to peacefully restore the constitutional government and return the country to a secure, democratic, and prosperous path. As we read reports of peaceful Venezuelan protesters killed or wounded, we also repeat our insistence that Venezuela’s security services show restraint.

And I want to be 100 percent clear: President Trump and I fully expect that our diplomats will continue to receive protections provided under the Vienna Convention. Do not test the United States on our resolve to protect our own people.

We hope that the international community will support the people of Venezuela and the transitional government led by Juan Guaido. On January 23rd, Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela in accordance with Venezuela’s own constitution. He made this declaration with the full support of the National Assembly and of the Venezuelan people. Our nations must stand up for the rule of law and support the leader who the Venezuelan people have affirmed as their legitimate interim president. It is our hope that free and fair elections happen as soon as possible.

Back in 1961, President Kennedy spoke in Caracas. He declared, “We will be partners in building a better life for our people.”

America’s ambition has not changed since that day. We stand with the Venezuelan people as they seek to build a better life for themselves and we cannot ignore the suffering or tyranny taking place in this proud nation. Neither should other countries who care about freedom and prosperity.

Today we call on all members of the Security Council to support Venezuela’s democratic transition and interim President Guaido’s role in it. Thank you.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Thank you, Mr. President. The focus of the UN Security Council is to safeguard international peace and security. The former Maduro regime has oppressed its people for years, forcing millions of Venezuelans to flee the country merely to gain very basic access to food and water. This has overwhelmed the capacity of regional countries to adequately address urgent humanitarian needs. Former President Maduro bears full responsibility for this tragedy, allowing Venezuelans to languish without food and humanitarian assistance.

On January 10th, the OAS passed a resolution that refused to recognize the illegitimate Maduro regime and called for further attention to address the suffering of the Venezuelan people. Last week we all received a letter under Article 54 from OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro which specifically described the destabilizing impact of this crisis in the region. And yet, despite this tragedy, despite the calls from regional bodies for more attention, the United Nations has yet to hold a formal session on this subject.

Now we have a new leader, Juan Guaido, in Venezuela, who has promised to bring elections and constitutional order back to Venezuela and security back to the region. We cannot delay this critical conversation which has the world’s attention. For the sake of Venezuela and the region, we must support the Venezuelan people and do so right now. Thank you.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Good afternoon, everyone.

Today I am incredibly excited to announce that a seasoned, principled, and tough-minded foreign policy veteran is joining our State Department team.

Elliott Abrams is coming aboard to lead our efforts on Venezuela.

His critical work will get started right away. Tomorrow, he will travel with me to the UN Security Council, where the United States has called a long overdue meeting to urge other nations to support Venezuela’s democratic transition.

Elliott’s long career in foreign affairs includes a great deal of time as a senior leader in this very organization. Under President Reagan, he served as assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs and assistant secretary for inter-American affairs as well.

Under President George W. Bush, he served on the National Security Council as the senior director for democracy, human rights, and international affairs; senior director for North African and Near East affairs; and deputy national security adviser for global democracy strategy.

Elliott’s passion for the rights and liberties of all peoples makes him a perfect fit and a valuable and timely addition. This week, the Venezuelan people have rejected former President Maduro’s illegitimate rule. Consistent with Venezuela’s constitution, and with the support of the Venezuelan people and the National Assembly, Juan Guaido has declared himself the interim president of Venezuela.

These are just the first steps on Venezuela’s road to liberty. Elliott will be a true asset to our mission to help the Venezuelan people fully restore democracy and prosperity to their country.

On this issue and all others, he is eager to advance President Trump’s agenda and promote the ideals and interests of the American people.

And now Elliott would like to say a few words.

MR ABRAMS: Thank you. Very briefly, I left this building 30 years ago this week, last time I worked here. So it’s very nice to be back. This crisis in Venezuela is deep and difficult and dangerous, and I can’t wait to get to work on it. Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thanks.

MR PALLADINO: All right, guys, we’ve got time for a question or two. Nick Wadhams, Bloomberg, please.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes, sir.

QUESTION: Can you talk a little bit – in a little bit more detail about what Mr. Abrams will be doing, what will his first task be, what will his chief focus be, will he travel to the region? And also, can you talk a little bit about some of the – what will happen to Venezuela’s overseas assets? For example, the gold that it has in the Bank of England, money it has in overseas accounts – will the expectation be that the interim president would have control over those funds?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, as to your first question, Elliott will have responsibility for all things related to our efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela. It’s a global challenge. There are multiple dimensions to how we hope to assist the Venezuelans in achieving democracy there, and he will be responsible for leading that effort.

We have an enormous team here that’s done truly remarkable work to date to get us to the point we are at today, and they’ve done this over certainly my eight months, but long preceding that as well. I’m incredibly proud of the work that our State Department team has done to date. Elliott will now lead our effort that relates directly to our efforts on behalf of the Venezuelan people.

I would expect, though, that his first task will be to get up to speed and then travel with me to New York tomorrow morning for the UN Security Council meeting. And after that, I couldn’t tell you where it will take him. Wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up traveling to the region, but what – the road ahead will be driven by the demands of the Venezuelan people and how we can assist them in achieving the outcome that America wants them to achieve.

QUESTION: And on the overseas assets?

SECRETARY POMPEO: On the overseas assets, we’ll have announcements from other places later today talking about how it is that we anticipate the interim President Juan Guaido will have the resources he needs to lead the Government of Venezuela forward.

MR PALLADINO: Let’s take a question from South America, so NTN. Gustau, please.

QUESTION: NTN 24, Gustau Alegret. Among the countries that has not recognized Juan Guaido as president are Mexico and Uruguay, and both countries has offered their diplomacies in order to help in the crisis. Is the U.S. thinking to work with them, or is the U.S. asking them to recognize Guaido? What’s the position of the State Department with these two countries?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, we think every country ought to recognize the constitutional leader of Venezuela, and that’s who the United States has concluded Juan Guaido is, the interim president of Venezuela. We think every country ought to recognize the Venezuelan constitution, the demands of the Venezuelan people.

So whether it is Mexico or Uruguay or any other country, we hope to work with them to achieve the sense that we can ultimately have a free and fair election in Venezuela, where the voices of the Venezuelan people who, under the Maduro regime, have been starved. Enormous medical and humanitarian situation in Colombia, more than a million refugees have fled the horrors of the Maduro regime. We’ll work with all nations to try and achieve that outcome. We think every country ought to take steps towards achieving that, and not side with this cruel dictator in Venezuela who has caused so much devastation for the people of Venezuela.

MR PALLADINO: Wrap it up, sir?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I think one more.

MR PALLADINO: Let’s go to Washington Post. Carol Morello.

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, I think a lot of people are concerned about the diplomats who are down there. Would you tell us what you’re prepared to do if tomorrow, when the 72-hour deadline passes, they – the Venezuelans cut off electricity and water, maybe even surround the building, or even try to go in to bring out the diplomats by force? Could you be specific about what you are prepared to do in the event of any of these scenarios? And how can you assure people that they are protected?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I appreciate that question. There’s been no activity that’s taken more of our time over the past days than ensuring the protection of all those folks that are under our chief of mission authority there in Venezuela. We’re working diligently to make sure that they are protected. There’s no higher priority for the Secretary of State, and you should know no higher priority for the President of the United States. We have discussed this at some length.

With respect to the way we will deliver that, we’ve made clear to everyone that it is our expectation that the U.S. officials that are there, that have now been invited to be there by interim President Juan Guaido have a right, they have the privileges and immunities that accrue to having been invited to be there by the duly credentialed leader of Venezuela, and we have every expectation that those rights will continue to be protected.

You would have seen today that we have ordered a – have an ordered departure. We’re beginning to move some of our staff out. This is consistent with what the State Department does every day. The first briefing I get every morning is all around the world, every mission, every consulate, every facility where we have officers, I receive a briefing on risk and risk analysis. We’ll continue to do that in Venezuela. It is literally a 24/7, moment-by-moment exercise to evaluate risk to the people who work for me in the State Department, and we’ll get this right. We will make sure that we protect our folks on the ground and take all appropriate measures to ensure that they’re protected.

Thank you.

QUESTION: And if they’re not?

MR PALLADINO: Thank you guys.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you all.

MR PALLADINO: Thank you very much.

QUESTION: Has the meeting tomorrow been scheduled at the Security Council?

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

QUESTION: Joining us now is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. I’m delighted he’s with us. We’re going to get the most up-to-date information from him on where this all stands, and he joins us now. Mr. Secretary, thanks for joining us.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Laura, it’s great to be with you.

QUESTION: So the concern now that Politico is writing about is that we’re leaving U.S. diplomats in Venezuela, and concern for their safety. We remember of course what happened in Benghazi. What can we do to reassure the American people that our diplomats are going to be safe during this time of tumult?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Laura, you should know, and your listeners should all know, that we are continuously, 24/7, evaluating security conditions. There’s no higher priority for the State Department than to keep all the people in our missions safe and secure. And we’ve made clear to the Maduro regime that it is our expectation that they will be safe and secure. And we will continue to evaluate.

We do this in our missions all across the world every day. We certainly have a real focus here and some of the other places that have greater security threats. But know that we are very focused on this, and we’ll make the right decision. What we want to make sure that the – that former President Maduro knows is that he doesn’t have the right to make the decision about whether or not we stay there. We now recognize the new, the interim President Guaido, and it is he who has asked us to be there under our diplomatic authority. And it’s under that authority that we have the right to continue our diplomatic mission there in Caracas, in Venezuela. And we will continue to assert that right.

We’ll make the right decision about our team and how many and for how long they can stay, but know that we’re focused on their security, but that they also have an important mission. The reason we want to be there is because we need a strong, democratic Venezuela where the humanitarian crisis, the disastrous conditions under which Maduro has let his people live for far too long, needs to be changed. And that’s the State Department’s mission. It’s our focus there.

QUESTION: The Russians, not happy about any of this, and they’re warning against any military intervention by the United States. Many people concerned about this becoming a flashpoint between the U.S. and Russia, with some larger conflagration happening as a result. And just back to the security issue, if something should be done to threaten our diplomats and we have to go in, are there – is there a concern about triggering any larger conflict with Russia, perhaps even China?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Well, Laura, it is interesting to see how this glorious day yesterday, where the Venezuelan people rose up to take back their country – it’s interesting to see how nations aligned. The free countries, the democratic countries of the world – Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, the list is long – they sided with freedom and democracy. And the folks who landed on the other side were Iran, Russia, and Cuba, along with China. I think that’s very telling. I think that tells you a lot about former President Maduro and the kind of kleptocracy that he was running. And our mission, our mission is to make sure that we do everything we can to keep our people safe while continuing to help the Venezuelan people achieve the outcome which they now are responsible for ultimately achieving.

QUESTION: Well, a lot of this has to do with the money that China has loaned Venezuela – $65 billion in loans. And I think still Venezuela owes them about 20 billion, so China wants its money back, above probably other things that they want, and influence and power in the Southern Hemisphere. They want that influence, and they want their money back, I imagine.

SECRETARY POMPEO: I think that’s right. I think the Cubans have been there running the security apparatus for an awfully long time, much to the detriment of the Venezuelan people. And yesterday a new page was turned. And I’m sure that we haven’t seen the last of the efforts of the – the last throes of the Maduro regime, the attempt to sustain power. But your – but your listeners just have to know the United States is committed to helping make this democratic transition successful. We just today authorized some additional money to support the International Red Cross and some others to provide humanitarian relief inside the country.

QUESTION: But if something should befall our diplomats, if there is a standoff, you’re not ruling out asking the President to send military help into the region, are you?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Laura, we’ll do the things we need to do to make sure we keep our people safe. I don’t want to speculate or create a hypothetical situation that we can’t account for. But know that the government is fully coordinated. I’ve spoken with all the other senior leaders in the United States Government just this morning. I spoke with our chief of mission there on the ground last night at 1700 hours. We have a 24/7 operation center up and running. We are fully engaged, we’re fully aware of the situation on the ground, and we’re prepared to do what it takes to make sure that we do everything we can to keep our people safe.

QUESTION: On the shutdown issue, Mr. Secretary, you now have former DHS secretaries, including the former White House chief of staff John Kelly, urging the President and the Democrats to reopen the government, especially the budget of DHS needing to be funded. What is your reaction to that? Does that put added pressure on President Trump to give in to the Democrats on this entire issue of the shutdown?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Oh, goodness. Look, count me in in hoping that we can find a path forward to get the government back open. I think that’d be a good thing. But this is a political time, and a important set of issues that are being debated. And so I don’t see it putting any more pressure on the President than it does on members of Congress. I didn’t see the particular report that you’re referring to —

QUESTION: It’s been all over.

SECRETARY POMPEO: — but know this: The State Department is fully prepared to do the things we need to do. I’ve talked to people. I traveled last week throughout the Middle East. We have great patriots working for the State Department who understand that democracy is sometimes a little bit messy. That – Vladimir Putin’s government never shuts down. It’s unlikely that the ayatollah is going to shut down his government. And so we do have a process that sometimes leads to these things that I think everyone wishes didn’t take place, but know that the State Department is prepared to do all that we can to continue to work through these difficult, challenging times.

QUESTION: John Kerry over in Davos – I’m sure you heard – he was asked what he would advise the President.

QUESTION: With that final word then, Secretary Kerry, if you had President Trump sitting right opposite you, what would your message to him be?

SECRETARY KERRY: I can’t play that – but I know that – you see, because he doesn’t take any of this seriously. He doesn’t have an ability to have that kind of conversation.

QUESTION: So what would you say to him to get it through? What would your message be?

SECRETARY KERRY: Resign.

QUESTION: Okay.

QUESTION: Your reaction to that, sir?

SECRETARY POMPEO: To be honest with you, Laura, we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what John Kerry says in this administration. Frankly, we’re trying to clean up his mess and the mess that the previous administration’s left us. I think – I think it’s pretty outrageous for a former secretary of state to be calling on a president of the United States to resign, but I suppose, beyond that, this isn’t the first time John Kerry has behaved in this way that is inconsistent with what I think former secretaries of state ought to do, and I wish it weren’t so.

QUESTION: Yeah. Well, I mean, he’s – he could have been prosecuted under the Logan Act for what he did in Iran, trying to do the negotiations ahead of everyone else. So it’s rich that he would be saying that.

Mr. Secretary, a lot of people are looking forward to new developments perhaps in our – again, it’s a trade stand-off with China. As you know, I’ve supported this move with trade, taking a hard line given the cheating of China. What can you tell us about potential progress with the Chinese given the huge hit they’ve taken to their economy, much more pronounced than, of course, it’s affected our country?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah. So the slowdown in economic growth in China is very real and severe. There’s no doubt about that. President Trump has been, as you know, has been pretty clear: we just want – we just want things to be fair and reciprocal. We want a set of arrangements that allow American workers to have the same opportunity that Chinese workers have. We want – we want our companies to be able to sell their goods into China without the risk that their intellectual property will be stolen or that they’ll be forced to deliver their technology to the Chinese Government —

QUESTION: I know. Are we any closer?

SECRETARY POMPEO: — in exchange for the right.

QUESTION: Are we any closer?

SECRETARY POMPEO: I think progress is being made. I’m optimistic that Ambassador Lighthizer and Secretary Mnuchin and the team are going to make real progress. I think it’s going to take every day between now and the end of the time period the President allotted to dot the Is and cross the Ts. I hope they can come to an outcome that is one that will be consistent with what President Trump has been demanding now for months and months.

QUESTION: And finally – I know you’re out of time – are we making any progress – I know you’ve been working on this – with our Mexican counterparts, AMLO and his team, to help more with this crush of humanity coming up, another 10,000-person caravan, and what’s happening at our southern border still? You saw that video of 500 migrants jumping the fence that the Daily Mail has posted. It’s shocking. What could you do additionally with our Mexican counterparts to end this constant stream of migrants coming up?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So this is a real challenge. It’s an enormous national security challenge. It’s completely appropriate that the Secretary of State is dealing with this, in addition to our Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. My mission has been, is to try to get the Mexicans to understand this threat, to take seriously the security issues that surround it, to do what they can at their southern border to discourage the transit across Mexico out of Guatemala and Honduras. We’ve made a little bit of progress with them; there’s just a lot more to do. It was – it’s disheartening to see the large numbers, to see these caravans moving out of those countries into Mexico headed for our southern border. When I talked to Foreign Minister Ebrard, he understands our concerns deeply and I’m hopeful in the weeks ahead we’ll make real progress in reducing this risk to American national security.

QUESTION: Are you worried about Kamala Harris telling MSNBC last night that we have a President who conducts foreign policy by tweets?

SECRETARY POMPEO: (Laughter.) I’m so worried that I had no idea she’d said it. No. This – our foreign policy is conducted in a way that is thoughtful, deliberative, and then forceful, and I think that’s all you can ask from a commander-in-chief. I’m proud to be his Secretary of State.

QUESTION: And are you – are you prepared to tell us there’ll be a new summit with North Korea in the next 60 days?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, there’ll be one in the next 60 days. That’s the plan.

QUESTION: All right. Well, Mr. Secretary, we really appreciate your spending time with us on the Laura Ingraham Podcast. Really appreciate it. I know how busy you are.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yes, ma’am.

QUESTION: Thank you so much.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you, Laura. Have a good day.

QUESTION: All right. All right. All the best.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.