Pence walks Trump tightrope after getting into race for 2024 GOP nomination
Mabinty Quarshie
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Former Vice President Mike Pence walked a tightrope during his first day as a declared presidential candidate, touting accomplishments as former President Donald Trump‘s running mate while differentiating himself on key issues.
Pence strongly implied Trump wasn’t fit for reelection during a campaign launch earlier Wednesday and then followed up with more critiques of Trump on entitlement reform, immigration, and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a CNN town hall.
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Notably, Pence broke from Trump when he stated he wouldn’t reinstate a controversial Trump-era migrant policy that separated children from parents at the border. Trump, however, said at a CNN town hall last month that he wouldn’t rule out reinstating the policy.
But Pence was adamant about solving the nation’s immigration woes. “Look, we got to stop putting Band-Aids on the problem. We got to stop having small little fixes and programs. We’ve got to secure our border. We got to finish that wall,” Pence said.
The former vice president also said Trump’s views on Social Security are similar to President Joe Biden‘s in his refusal to cut benefits.
“It’s also disappointing to me that Donald Trump’s position on entitlement reform is identical to Joe Biden’s. I mean, their policy is insolvency,” said Pence. “And the truth is, not only are we looking at mandatory cuts in these programs if we don’t reform them and improve them, but, frankly, Dana, the $32 trillion national debt that we have today, which is the size of our nation’s economy — first time since World War II that we have debt the size of our economy — that is actually set to grow, largely driven by the cost of entitlements, over the next 25 years from $32 trillion to $150 trillion.”
On the Ukraine war with Putin, Pence was unequivocal. “When Vladimir Putin rolled into Ukraine, the former president called him a genius. I know the difference between a genius and a war criminal,” said the former vice president in a rebuke to Trump, who wouldn’t say if he wanted Ukraine to win the war during last month’s town hall. “And I know who needs to win in the war in Ukraine. And it’s the people fighting for their freedom and fighting to restore their national sovereignty in Ukraine.”
Although Pence heavily attacked Trump, he did admit he would support whoever the GOP presidential nominee is, a key requirement for any Republican who wants to appear at the first Republican National Committee-sponsored presidential debate this summer.
CNN host Dana Bash questioned Pence’s commitment to supporting the nominee even if it’s Trump, who has a commanding lead over all other 2024 GOP hopefuls according to polling. Pence continues to poll in the single digits like most other candidates except for Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and Trump.
“How can you say that you would support him if he’s the nominee?” Bash asked Pence.
“Well, because I don’t think Donald Trump’s going to be the nominee,” Pence quipped.
Trump’s pending legal woes including a possible indictment over his handling of classified documents were a theme during the town hall.
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While Pence stated that “no one’s above the law” and he doesn’t want the Justice Department to indict Trump, he concurred that a Trump indictment “would also send a terrible message to the wider world,” he said. “I mean, we’re the emblem of democracy. We’re the symbol of justice in the world. And the serious matter, which has already happened once in New York, of indicting a former president of the United States sends a terrible message to the world.”
Pence also dodged on whether he would pardon Trump if he were convicted of a crime. “I don’t want to speak about hypotheticals. I’m not sure I’m going to be elected president of the United States,” Pence said to laughter from the crowd.