Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted French President Emmanuel Macron over his trip to China, where he sought to distance Europe from the United States.
Macron ignited a firestorm over his calls for European "strategic autonomy" and equivocations on Taiwan. Pompeo said Macron "resented" the U.S. and argued that he has a propensity for "cozying" up with rival nations such as Iran.
CHINA TOUTS ‘PARTNERSHIP’ WITH FRANCE AS MACRON CHARTS PATH SEPARATE FROM US
"I don't know how big of a problem it is. Macron has always been someone who resented the United States of America. We saw that when we were dealing with the Iranians. He was always cozying up to the ayatollah, causing problems for us," Pompeo told Fox News's Laura Ingraham. "I don't think he represents all of Europe, either."
Pompeo cited Eastern European nations such as Estonia and Poland as examples of countries that don't align with Macron's skepticism of the U.S.
"What Macron did is absolutely indecent — to reject all we have done for France and for Europe over the last 60, 70 years," he added.
Macron embarked on a three-day trip to China last week and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, seeking to bolster relations with Beijing and the European Union. His trip came in the shadow of icy relations between the U.S. and China. He used his visit to plea for help in addressing the war in Ukraine.
In a Politico interview, Macron roiled U.S. foreign policy luminaries by asserting that Europe should not become a "vassal" state for the U.S.
“The paradox would be that, overcome with panic, we believe we are just America’s followers,” Macron told the outlet. “The question Europeans need to answer … is it in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] on Taiwan? No. The worse thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the U.S."
Pompeo further knocked the Biden administration for not taking a stronger rhetorical stance against France and argued that Marcon's remarks benefit China.
"Macron's statements were a true propaganda victory for Xi Jinping. And that's bad for the people of the United States ... President Biden should go out immediately and make clear that we are not the problem," Pompeo added. "Macron somehow suggested that it was our actions that led to these threats against Taiwan. That's fundamentally not the case."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Trump administration famously butted heads with Macron at times. Former President Donald Trump's America First agenda and clamoring about NATO seemingly spooked European countries about their dependence on the U.S. Many European leaders have sounded the alarms about their dependency on the U.S. for security.
Pompeo is considering mounting a 2024 campaign for president.