Pompeo Says China’s Xi ‘Has Lied Multiple Times to Multiple Presidents,’ Calls Taiwan Comments to Trump a ‘Threat’

The former secretary of state urged skepticism after the Beijing summit, saying Taiwan is central to U.S. security and the American AI economy.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks on stage on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 18, 2024. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s comments to President Donald Trump on Taiwan should be viewed as a threat and urged Washington to judge Beijing by its actions after last week’s summit in China.

“Make no mistake: Xi Jinping’s statements on Taiwan to President Trump were a threat,” Pompeo wrote on X on May 15. “We need to be clear-eyed about his mission, and prepared to do the necessary to deter Communist China. President Trump gets that.”