The rest of Washington may be turning on Donald Trump, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is standing by his man.

After the president decided earlier this week to pull U.S. troops out Syria, he found himself isolated. Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned in protest. Normally friendly congressional Republicans raged. America’s allies were stunned.

Enter Mike Pompeo. “It no longer makes sense for there to be 2,000 soldiers stationed there,” he said this week, even as reports emerged that he privately disagreed with the move.

Such willingness to defend Trump — no matter the potential damage to his reputation — is par for the course for Pompeo. The diplomat is a former congressman from Kansas with a reputation as a highly partisan Republican, and he has worked exceedingly hard to stay in Trump’s good graces.