Former CIA director Mike Pompeo was sworn in as America's top diplomat after a bruising battle over his hardliner image, and immediately embarked on a mission to Europe and the Middle East with a strong declaration of support from President Donald Trump.
The White House soon after the announcement released images of the then-CIA director Mike Pompeo shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, during a 2018 trip.
In this image released by the White House, then-CIA director Mike Pompeo shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, North Korea. Source: The White House
Pompeo overcame stiff opposition in the Senate from Democrats who warned he would add fuel to Trump's aggressive foreign policy.
But ultimately, the 54-year-old West Point graduate and former congressman beat back critics, easily winning Senate confirmation in a 57-42 vote.
Just over one hour later, he was sworn in as secretary of state by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito at the White House.
The State Department immediately announced Pompeo would lead the US delegation to NATO foreign minister talks in Brussels on Friday, and follow that with stops in Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
"Having a patriot of Mike's immense talent, energy and intellect leading the Department of State will be an incredible asset for our country at this critical time in history," Trump said in a
"He will always put the interests of America first. He has my trust. He has my support."
After the swearing-in ceremony, Pompeo said he was "completely humbled by the responsibility" of his new post.
"I'm looking forward to serving the American people and getting to work right away," he added.
Pompeo replaces Rex Tillerson, the former oil executive Trump fired in March after a year of tensions with the White House over policy and turmoil in the State Department, where his cutbacks and aloofness alienated staff and left the body deeply demoralised.
But where Tillerson was seen as a voice for moderation in the Trump administration, Pompeo is viewed as a hawk who could combine with new White House National Security Advisor John Bolton to back Trump's aggressive posturing on the world.
Protesters at the nomination hearing of former CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Source: AAP
Promises diplomacy, 'swagger'
In a bruising fight against his appointment, Democrats accused Pompeo as too bellicose and harboring anti-Muslim and homophobic
During his confirmation hearing at the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Pompeo rejected those accusations.
He insisted his focus will be on diplomatic solutions to problems, while pledging to bring "swagger once again" to the State Department.
"One of the many values of robust diplomacy is that it increases our chances of solving problems peacefully, without ever firing a shot," Pompeo said.
"War is always the last resort. I would prefer achieving the president's foreign policy goals with unrelenting diplomacy rather than by sending young men and women to war."
Despite his conservative religious background, he also insisted his record at the CIA was one of openness toward Muslim and gay and lesbian employees, though a number of Democrats said he was not convincing.
Secret North Korea trip
A veteran who graduated first in his class at the elite US Military Academy at West Point, and later earned a law degree from Harvard, Pompeo served four terms as a Republican congressman from Kansas before Trump tapped him to head the Central Intelligence Agency last year.
There, he promised a more "vicious" intelligence operation, making unapologetically menacing statements toward North Korea and Iran.
He also earned Trump's ear in regular intelligence briefings at the White House, accommodating Trump's desire for simplified, visual presentations rather than detailed written assessments of the world's security dangers.
The President said that Pompeo wasn't supposed to meet with Kim, but that they ended up talking for more than an hour. Source: AAP
Behind the scenes, he made numerous trips abroad to meet foreign political and security leaders, especially in the Middle East.
He also took the lead in creating a dialogue with North Korea as Pyongyang demonstrated its theoretical ability to strike the United States with a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile.
In late March, Pompeo secretly traveled to Pyongyang, where he met with Kim to discuss what could become a historic summit between the two countries possibly as early as in May.
"He's the perfect person to come in at this time and lead those efforts diplomatically," Republican Senator Bob Corker said ahead of the vote.
Democrats remained sceptical.
"I opposed his nomination because I believe he will only reinforce President Trump's worst instincts, but now that he has been confirmed, I certainly hope to be proven wrong," said Senator Richard Blumenthal.
