Pompeo extols 'America's essential rightness' at State Dept

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today extolled the "essential rightness" of the United States in global affairs as he urged demoralised US diplomats to act firmly and aggressively as they promote and carry out the Trump administration's foreign policies.

In a pep talk to State Department employees, Pompeo explained that his repeated calls for the agency to regain its "swagger" meant that diplomats should act with confidence, knowing that the US cause is just. The State Department released excerpts of his prepared remarks, which were delivered at an internal town hall event.

"Swagger is not arrogance; it is not boastfulness, it is not ego," Pompeo said, according to the excerpts. "No, swagger is confidence; in one's self, in one's ideas. In our case, it is America's essential rightness. And it is aggressiveness born of the righteous knowledge that our cause is just, special, and built upon America's core principles."