Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rang in the new year by vigorously patting himself on the back in a tweet storm that defined the word “swagger” as “to represent America with pride, humility and professionalism.”
The tweets — which began Friday and continued Saturday afternoon — were what Pompeo described as the “full story about our foreign policy.” They included anecdotes in which Pompeo praised both himself and the work of President Donald Trump’s State Department in returning hostages from countries such as North Korea and pulling U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.
Notably, the tweets were punctuated by a variety of creative hashtags, including #LeadingFromTheFront, #EndEndlessWars and #FireAndFury.
One of hashtags that Pompeo deployed the most was #swagger, which he posted multiple times with the same message: “Big challenges. Great team. Securing Americans’ freedom.”
Pompeo has used the word “swagger” in odd ways in the past and launched his Instagram account in 2018 with an image of the State Department emblem that read “Department of Swagger.”
Critics slammed the braggadocio in Pompeo’s recent tweets, with many pointing out that the word “swagger” actually means “to bully.”
Others suggested that Pompeo was using Twitter to send messaging in advance of a possible 2024 presidential run.
The Wall Street Journal last month outlined Pompeo’s political aspirations and quoted supporters saying that he is “well positioned for domestic political pursuits” after Trump leaves office.
The secretary of state has yet to recognize the legitimacy of President-elect Joe Biden. He said in November that there would be a “second Trump administration.”