Was Mike Pompeo joking about 'a 2nd Trump administration'? Trump doesn't seem to think so.


Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised eyebrows and some hackles Tuesday when he said at a press briefing that "there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," suggesting that President-elect Joe Biden would not take office Jan. 20. But he smiled after the comment, raising the possibility he was at least half-joking.
Was he joking? President Trump, who has refused to concede despite Biden's insurmountable lead, didn't seem to think so.
Yeah, "Trump didn't think it was a joke," conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg tweeted. "Pompeo knew Trump wouldn't think it was a joke. He said it anyway." Tablet's Yair Rosenberg agreed but saw a silver lining: "From the full clip, you can see Pompeo was trying — badly — to make a joke. But the fact that he tried and muffed this is probably for the best. Now the Trump party line will be 'he was joking, silly libs,' which commits them to the idea that it's ridiculous to suggest that Trump won!" Fellow U.S. diplomats weren't laughing.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Fox News anchor Bret Baier just flat-out asked Pompeo Tuesday evening. "You said there will be a 'smooth transition to a second Trump administration.' Were you being serious there?" Pompeo didn't answer directly. "We'll have a smooth transition, and we'll see what the people ultimately decided when all the votes have been cast," he said. "I am very confident that we will have a good transition, that we will make sure that whoever is in office on noon on Jan. 20 has all the tools readily available so that we don't skip a beat with the capacity to keep Americans safe," he added, and "we will achieve this in a way that's deeply consistent with the American tradition."
Biden himself laughed off Pompeo's comment and waved away the idea Trump could hold on to power, despite Republican leaders largely encouraging his long-shot litigation. "I think that the whole Republican party has been put in a position, with a few notable exceptions, of being mildly intimidated by the sitting president," he said. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
August 2 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include a tariff self-own, rough times at the Trump golf course, and more
-
5 inexcusably hilarious cartoons about Ghislaine Maxwell angling for a pardon
Cartoons Artists take on the circle of life, Ghislaine's Island, and more
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Thailand, Cambodia agree to ceasefire in border fight
Speed Read At least 38 people were killed and more than 300,000 displaced in the recent violence
-
Israel 'pauses' Gaza military activity as aid outcry grows
Speed Read The World Health Organization said malnutrition has reached 'alarming levels' in Gaza
-
US and EU reach trade deal
Speed Read Trump's meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen resulted in a tariff agreement that will avert a transatlantic trade war
-
At least 12 dead in Thai-Cambodian clashes
Speed Read Both countries accused the other of firing first
-
US and Japan strike trade deal
Speed Read Trump signed what he's calling the 'largest deal ever made'
-
28 nations condemn Israel's 'inhumane killing' in Gaza
Speed Read Countries including Australia, France, Japan and the U.K. have released a joint statement condemning Israel's ongoing attacks
-
Israeli gunfire kills dozens at Gaza aid site
Speed Read The U.N. estimates that at least 875 Palestinians have died while trying to access food in recent months