16 horrified reactions to Mike Pompeo saying there will be a 'second Trump administration'

Donald Trump's secretary of state, Mike Pompeo sparked outrage and horror on Tuesday after he said that there would be a 'smooth transition to a second Trump administration.'

Pompeo was taking questions from the press and was asked if the State Department had begun their transition period and if they were working with president-elect Biden's team.

The 56-year-old appeared to chuckle to himself and hinted at the baseless claims of voter fraud, saying:

There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. All right? We’re ready. The world is watching what’s taking place here. We’re going to count all the votes. When the process is complete, there’ll be elector selected. There’s a process. The Constitution lays it out pretty clearly. The world should have every confidence that the transition necessary to make sure that the State Department is functional today, successful today and successful with the president who’s in office on January 20th a minute after noon will also be successful.

Many Republicans and White House officials are yet to acknowledge that Biden won the election despite numerous news outlets projecting the Democrat as the president-elect. Whether Pompeo was being serious in his remark or not remains to be seen but his comments pleased Trump who shared a video of the quote adding that this was the reason why Pompeo was 'number on in his class at West Point.'

However, not everyone was impressed with what Pompeo said. CNN's Jim Acosta compared Pompeo's comments to the former Iraqi diplomat and aide to Saddam Hussein, Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf also known as 'Baghdad Bob.'

You had Pompeo saying they’re going to ‘make a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. It is extraordinary to hear the secretary of state sounding like Baghdad Bob at this point and President Trump is Saddam Hussein.

Elsewhere, Stephen Colbert called Pompeo's comments 'dangerous' during his monologue on the latest episode of The Late Show.

Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton, who has since become a critic of the president, wasn't happy with what Pompeo had to say either. He told CNN:

He has eviscerated his credibility internationally because I think there are very few people, even in the US government who believe that’s the case. I don’t know why he had to have that briefing and I don’t know why he felt he needed to make that statement, maybe other than to avoid being fired like others are being throughout the administration. But it’s delusional.

Elsewhere, Pompeo's comments drew severe criticism on social media with many likening it to the language used during a 'coup.'

Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren echoed many of these sentiments, adding that a 'peaceful transition of power is a cornerstone of our democracy.'

Her fellow presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg didn't directly acknowledge what Pompeo had said but did say that he was looking forward to January 20, when Biden will be sworn into office.

Biden himself didn't resort to name-calling but did give his thoughts on Pompeo's comments. Speaking during a press conference on the Affordable Care Act, the president-elect dismissed the baseless accusations of fraud and literally laughed at what the secretary of state had said.

Given what we've already seen from the Trump team, this is unlikely to be the last time that we hear comments of this nature during the next two months.