Mike Pompeo says America needs serious conservative candidates

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday it was time for the nation to move past celebrity candidates for president in remarks that seemed squarely aimed at former President Donald Trump.

While not referring to Trump by name, Pompeo said on "Fox News Sunday": "The moment for celebrity, the moment for stars, is not with us. It's the moment for America to go back to its conservative founding."

In discussing recent remarks about his ideal choice for president, Pompeo said: "I was talking about the time to elect serious leaders who are thoughtful, who speak about America as the most exceptional nation in the history of civilization. They aren't denigrating it, they are not throwing out whoppers, they're not spending all their time thinking about Twitter. That's what I was speaking to."

Host Shannon Bream pressed Pompeo, saying that his description of who he didn't want in the White House sounded a lot like Trump, his former boss.

"It's not about former President Trump. It's not about President Biden. It's about the American people and getting this right," Pompeo answered, before telling Bream he was not "dodging" her question.

He also said he would decide whether to run or not in "the next couple months."

Pompeo is one of a number of prominent Republicans seen as potential challengers to the former president for the 2024 GOP nomination.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have entered the race, and others, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, are considered possible entrants. Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Sunday he would not be entering the race.

Pompeo, who also spoke about current international crises and the origins of Covid-19, did say he thought he could do better as president than recent holders of the nation's highest office when it comes to fiscal policy and government debt.

"I think," he said, "a President Pompeo or any conservative president will do better than not only we did during the four years of the Trump administration, but Barack Obama, George Bush. The list is long, Shannon, of folks who come to Washington on one theory and aren't prepared to stand up and explain to the American people how we're actually going to get that right."