Donald Trump Jr says Mike Pompeo is ‘smart enough’ to know he shouldn’t run against his father in 2024

‘He’s a smart enough guy to probably know he shouldn’t or wouldn’t run against Donald Trump’

Donald Trump Jr has said in an interview that Mike Pompeo should be “smart enough” to know whether to run against his father Donald Trump, if the former president was to run again in the elections in 2024.

Mr Trump has not formally stated whether he will contest the next presidential elections.

Mr Trump Jr was asked if Mr Pompeo’s opposition to Mehmet Oz, a candidate endorsed by Mr Trump for the Pennsylvania senate race, is a sign he will run against the former president in 2024.

“He’s a smart enough guy to probably know he shouldn’t or wouldn’t run against Donald Trump,” the former president’s son replied.

Mr Pompeo had recently hit out at Dr Oz, saying he owed an explanation about the “scope and the depth of his relationship with the Turkish government”, referring to the candidate voting in Turkey, a country where he holds dual citizenship along with the US, in 2018.

Mr Pompeo has also given air to rumours of him running for the 2024 Republican primary.

When asked about a possible 2024 presidential bid, he didn’t deny the possibility.

“I’m always up for a good fight,” Mr Pompeo said. “I care deeply about America. You and I have been a part of the conservative movement for an awfully long time now. I aim to keep at it.”

The former secretary of state also has a book coming out in November that, reports suggest, will cover his years in the Trump administration.

According to his publisher, the book will offer “unvarnished appraisals of the deals made and characters encountered along the way.”

Mr Pompeo had also recently said it would be “fantastic” to have the former president back on Twitter.

“I think [Mr Trump returning to Twitter would] be fantastic and it would be right to put him back on. It’d be right to put back every conservative who’s been taken off or throttled down or shadow-banned or whatever the right word is,” he had said in an interview with Fox News.

“We’ve seen it in my own account. There should be a place for people to speak their mind, speak freely, and speak about the things that matter to America. And I think [former] president Trump and everyone who wants to be out there should be allowed to be back on Twitter. I’m glad to hear what Mr [Elon] Musk is going to do when he gets a hold,” Mr Pompeo added.