© 2026 ABC News

\"Looking forward to sharing with you how my family is more SAFE and more SECURE because of President Trump,\" Pompeo tweeted from his \"personal\" Twitter account, where he often posts family photos, shares Bible quotes, and trolls Democratic politicians.

But Pompeo will deliver the speech during an official trip to Israel, Sudan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, meaning at least some department resources, such as requisite security, will be utilized.

It also further deflates the old adage that partisan politics stopped at the water's edge. Biegun urged employees to \"carefully\" adhere to department policies \"designed to support our nonpartisan foreign policy.\"

Israeli media have also reported that Pompeo will record the remarks from Jerusalem, which the Trump administration recognized as Israel's capital in 2018 and where the U.S. embassy has been relocated from Tel Aviv. The move broke decades of international consensus about Jerusalem's status, but Pompeo has said it is an example of the administration's strong support for Israel, while President Trump said last week he did it \"for the evangelicals.\"

\"PHOTO:
Debbie Hill/POOL via AP
PHOTO: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a joint statement to the press with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after their meeting, in Jerusalem, Aug. 24, 2020.
>

\"At a time when peace and security in Middle East is so tough, Jerusalem should not be a prop for the RNC, and @SecPompeo should not be tarnishing the office of SecState. Unprecedented and wrong,\" tweeted Wendy Sherman, a senior State Department official under Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

None of the previous six secretaries of state attended their party's political convention. While some before that attended, they did not address the convention, even as they worked behind the scenes.

At the 1976 GOP convention, Henry Kissinger haggled over the party's platform amid a broader intra-party fight. Jimmy Carter's Secretary of State Edmund Muskie was reportedly floated as a replacement for his boss on the Democratic ticket around the 1980 convention. George Shultz attended the 1988 convention and vocalized his support for Vice President George H.W. Bush in interviews, but he did not give a formal address.

\"It's probably better for the secretary of state not to. But I'm a Republican, so I'm here and I'm supporting the ticket,\" he told PBS Newshour.

That has always been a fine line for the secretary of state, particularly when there's been speculation about their own political future, like Hillary Clinton.

But Pompeo has taken that further than most, making clear his presidential ambitions, wading deep into culture wars, and going to battle against Congressional Democrats by declining documents requests or canceling staff-level briefings.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/pompeo-speak-rnc-unprecedented-move-critics-call-inappropriate/story?id=72567367","legacySlug":"/news/story/pompeo-speak-rnc-unprecedented-move-critics-call-inappropriate-72567367","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"19:50","publishDate":"08-24-2020","updatedTime":"20:02","updatedDate":"08-24-2020","socialImage":{"alt":"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a joint statement to the press with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after their meeting, in Jerusalem, Aug. 24, 2020.","credit":"Debbie Hill/POOL via AP","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/pomeo-ap-jt-200824_1598288368830_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"8/24/2020 19:50:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":72567367,"headline":"Pompeo mixes personal, official with RNC speech","mediaAssetTitle":"POMPEO SPEAKS TO RNC","description":"He'll be the first secretary of state to speak at a convention in modern times.","duration":"7:08","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/08/200813_vod_conventionsexplainedFINAL1_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132055565","131830882","130993584"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 15, 2026","headline":"American influencer found dead in Tanzania","section":"News","slug":"/video/132055565","id":"132055565","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 8, 2026","headline":"Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","section":"News","slug":"/video/131830882","id":"131830882","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"March 12, 2026","headline":"Winter whiplash plunges temperatures along the East Coast","section":"News","slug":"/video/130993584","id":"130993584","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Winter whiplash plunges temperatures along the East Coast","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Winter whiplash plunges temperatures along the East Coast","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Pompeo mixes personal, official with RNC speech","description":"He'll be the first secretary of state to speak at a convention in modern times.","duration":"7:08","uploadDate":"08-24-2020","publication":"08-24-2020","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/08/200813_vod_conventionsexplainedFINAL1_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2020/08/200813_vod_conventionsexplainedFINAL1_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/pompeo-speak-rnc-unprecedented-move-critics-call-inappropriate-72567367"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131142257","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131046664","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131048076","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131033212","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130999943","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130971027","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Pompeo mixes personal, official with RNC speech","pubTime":"15:50","pubDate":"08-24-2020","modTime":"16:02","modDate":"08-24-2020","taxonomyTags":"none","id":72567367,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Pompeo mixes personal, official with RNC speech","mediaAssetTitle":"POMPEO SPEAKS TO RNC","videoId":72567367,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/pompeo-speak-rnc-unprecedented-move-critics-call-inappropriate-72567367"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/72567367","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/72567367","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};