Former Vice President Mike Pence said traditional Ronald Reagan-style conservatism still has wide support from voters, despite “voices in the Republican Party today who are giving way to more populism.”
Speaking on a Monday episode of the Liberty + Leadership podcast in front of an audience of young law fellows at The Fund for American Studies in Washington, D.C., Pence argued how his experiences speaking on the 2024 campaign trail and previously at Trump rallies made him realize that the media is wrong to portray the Republican Party as hostile to traditional conservatism.
“The media love to write ‘Mike Pence’s problem,’ and a couple of other of my friends who are running, ‘this is their problem, they’re running in a Republican Party that doesn’t exist anymore.’ That wasn’t my experience.” He said that when he visited states like Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina while running for president, his messages on limited government, strong national defense, international American leadership, and pro-growth and anti-abortion policies were met with enthusiasm. He also said that message previously resonated when he spoke at Trump rallies.
On the matter of international American leadership, Pence specifically mentioned Ukraine. He is a vocal supporter for the U.S. providing military aid to Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia, putting him at odds with Trump’s new running mate, Senator JD Vance, who has said it was in “America’s best interest” for Ukraine to end the war by ceding territory to Russia.
Former Vice President Mike Pence in Washington, D.C., May 16, 2024. Pence said that traditional conservatism still has wide support in the modern Republican Party, despite growing populist voices.
Tom Williams/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Reflecting on his time speaking at Trump rallies, Pence noted, “Everywhere I went, people were cheering. I wasn’t surprised though, because every Trump rally I ever spoke at…I would say those same things and the crowd would roar. The roof would lift. I have no doubt this movement remains conservative.”
Pence acknowledged the rise of populist voices within the Republican Party but maintained his belief that a significant portion of the electorate remains aligned with traditional conservative principles.
The former vice president attributed some current political dynamics to what he called the “abject failure of the Biden administration at home and abroad” and said he and millions of Americans were offended by what he described as “lawfare” against former President Trump, who has been convicted of falsifying business records and faces two remaining criminal cases related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election, after a third criminal case was dismissed.
Trump denies all charges and maintains that he is being “politically persecuted” in a “witch hunt.”
Newsweek reached out to Pence and Trump’s campaign for comment.
Recounting an interaction at a town hall meeting in Iowa while he was running for president, Pence illustrated the loyalty many voters feel towards Trump through his legal struggles, even as they express appreciation for his own platform. A voter told Pence, “If they do that to a former president, they can do that to me. We just can’t have it.”
Pence told the audience of young legal scholars to uphold traditional conservative values, which he described as “American ideals,” and quoted Ronald Reagan: “I’m not a great communicator. I just communicate great things.” He encouraged them to carry these principles into their careers and public lives.
Among hardline Trump supporters, Pence is a divisive figure and has routinely been called a traitor since the January 6, 2021, Capitol Riot, when he refused alleged calls from Trump and his allies to reject the 2020 election results while presiding over Congress‘ certification of the ballots. Some rioters constructed a noose and chanted “hang Mike Pence” as they stormed the building.
Despite saying in the podcast that Trump was the target of “lawfare,” Pence hit the former president in 2023 over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election: “what the president maintained that day [January 6], and frankly has said over and over again over the last two and a half years, is completely false,” Pence said. “And it’s contrary to what our Constitution and the laws of this country provide.”
Mike Pence has not endorsed Trump for president.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
