KEY POINTS
- Outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo took one of the last statements of his term to assail multiculturalism
- The remarks earned him attacks over his own Italian heritage and his recent condemnation of the abuse of minorities abroad
- Pompeo's time in office has been marked by controversy, but he's remained loyal to Donald Trump
Outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo found time Tuesday to spark one last wave of outrage by calling multiculturalism un-American.
Commentators attacked Pompeo over the remark, noting the layers of irony given Pompeo’s heritage and critiques of other countries for mistreating minorities.
Pompeo, 57, is of Italian heritage, as his great-grandparents emigrated to the U.S. from southern Italy in the early 20th century.
The message will be one of Pompeo’s last in an official capacity, with the Biden administration set to begin on Wednesday afternoon. Pompeo took the opportunity to attack “woke-ism,” arguing that liberal ideals are tools used by foreign enemies to divide the country.
He was immediately assailed by criticism. He’d made headlines earlier in the day by condemning China’s abuse of its Uighur minority as genocide, making it especially curious to then complain about cultural diversity in the U.S.
Many noted that Pompeo was an Italian last name, making the secretary of state a member of the races now considered white that are only part of the advantaged group by dint of multiculturalism.
Others noted that his remarks came alongside the publication of the 1776 Report, a document published by the Trump administration to combat narratives highlighting minority presence in U.S. history that historians have assailed as "outright lies.”
Pompeo is no stranger to controversy: his term has been marked by attacks against friend, foe, and many foreign powers. His allegiance to Donald Trump has regularly dragged him into murky political waters.
Among the final messages of his term were many references to the philosophy the guided his hand throughout the Trump presidency: America first. He’s pledged to continue to advocate nativist policies even without the pulpit his secretaryship provided.
