Former Republican US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday that he will not be running for the party’s nomination ahead of the 2024 presidential election, meaning he will not be among the opponents of former President Donald Trump, under whom he served.

Mr. Pompeo, 59, said he decided after discussions with his wife not to run for personal reasons. “The timing is not right for me and my family,” he explained.

A former Kansas congressman and former CIA director, Mr. Pompeo had a reputation as a staunch ally of Mr. Trump. It implemented Mr. Trump’s highly controversial foreign policy decisions.

Mike Pompeo initially supported Donald Trump’s claims that he was “stolen” to win the 2020 election, though he later cooperated in the transition process. In recent months, he has indirectly criticized the former president, saying Republicans need leaders who aren’t stuck in the past.

With Mr Pompeo out of the running, Donald Trump’s only challenger in the race is officially his administration’s former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Florida Governor Ron DeSandis and former Vice President Mike Pence are considered possible contenders for the Republican nomination.