[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Even Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State who once warned foreign leaders contacting President-elect Joe Biden by saying "There is only one President of the United States," has begun the transition process.
On the 24th (local time), Secretary Pompeo confirmed in an interview with Fox News that the State Department has also started the transition process. He said, "The State Department began work today to understand the decision of the General Services Administration (GSA)," adding, "We will do everything the law requires."
Although Pompeo's remarks did not explicitly mention the transition process, by stating that they will follow the GSA's decision, it confirmed that the State Department has also begun the transition.
The day before, the GSA officially recognized Biden as the President-elect and began providing the personnel and material resources necessary for the transition.
Earlier, on the 10th, after Biden declared victory in the presidential election, Pompeo warned foreign leaders when Biden engaged in diplomatic phone calls with them.
At that time, the U.S. election results had already tilted in favor of Biden’s victory, and Biden had declared his win. In an interview with Fox News, Pompeo said, "Not all votes have been counted yet. Legal procedures must be fully followed." He added, "It is not uncomfortable if (foreign leaders and Biden) just greet each other," but warned, "Do not make a mistake. There is only one President of the United States, one Secretary of State, and one national security team."
When reporters asked whether Pompeo would cooperate with Biden’s transition team, he gave a non-answer, saying, "There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," which sparked controversy.
Although the transition process is proceeding following the GSA’s decision, Pompeo criticized Biden’s foreign and security team.
In the Fox News interview, he said, "I know some of them (Biden’s foreign and security team)," and added, "They have very different views and live in a fantasy." Regarding the multilateral diplomatic order advocated by Biden, he said, "Their diplomacy starts from the bottom and is conciliatory," and added, "I hope they choose a different path. It is 2020 now, and it is different from 2015."
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