Ex-VP Mike Pence blasts Biden's 'avalanche of liberal policies' and hails Trump in his first speech since leaving office
Former Vice President Mike Pence blasted the Biden administration’s ‘far-left agenda’ and its ‘avalanche of liberal policies’ while praising his ex-boss, Donald Trump.
It was the first time Pence spoke in public since leaving office as Trump’s No. 2 - and he did it in South Carolina, one of the early primary states that will have a significant voice in picking the GOP’s presidential nominee in 2024.
Pence hit out at Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's proposed $6 trillion spending plan to rejuvenate the COVID-ravaged US economy
The former VP said: 'In just 100 days, the Biden/Harris administration has launched an avalanche of liberal policies that threaten to derail all the progress that we made for a safer, more prosperous, more secure America.'
By contrast, Pence only had good things to say about his former boss. He said that serving in the Trump administration was 'the greatest honor of my life.'
'It was four years of consequence, four years of results and four years of promises made and promises kept,' Pence said.
It was significant considering that Trump trashed Pence after the then-vice president confirmed the results of the 2020 election, making Joe Biden's victory in the presidential race official.
Former Vice President Mike Pence (seen left in Columbia, South Carolina on Thursday) blasted the Biden administration’s ‘far-left agenda’ and its ‘avalanche of liberal policies.’ President Joe Biden is seen right in Duluth, Georgia on Thursday
On January 6, the day of the Congressional certification, Pence was whisked away to a secure location by Secret Service agents as supporters of the then-president ransacked the US Capitol.
Pence and his supporters were upset that Trump never bothered to ask how he was doing or inquire about his safety as the MAGA riot was unfolding.
On that day, Trump berated Pence and tried to pressure the vice president to use powers he did not possess to try to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Pence, for his part, was left feeling 'hurt' and 'upset' by the episode, according to people close to him.
Trump did not call to check in on his vice president’s safety during the ordeal and instead was consumed with anger over Pence’s refusal to go along with a scheme, tweeting, 'Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.'
Members of the mob outside the Capitol were captured on video chanting, 'Hang Mike Pence!'
For allies of Pence, it was a deeply upsetting episode that put the vice president in danger after four years of unstinting loyalty to the former president and left Pence himself feeling hurt.
Pence had good things to say about his former boss. He said that serving in the Trump administration was 'the greatest honor of my life.' Former President Donald Trump is seen above at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday
In his first public address since the end of the Trump administration, Pence made brief mention of the 'tragedy at our nation's Capitol.' He did not elaborate.
On Thursday, the former vice president put down a marker for a potential return to elected office, telling the audience that he will use the coming months 'pushing back on the liberal agenda' he says is wrong for the country.
'We've got to guard our values ... by offering a positive agenda to the American people, grounded in our highest ideals,' Pence told an audience of several hundred at a Columbia dinner sponsored by a conservative Christian nonprofit that lobbies for what it considers to be 'biblical values,' such as heterosexual marriage.
'Now, over the coming months, I'll have more to say about all of that.'
The choice of South Carolina for Pence's post-administration debut has definite political overtones, helping him develop exposure for a potential 2024 presidential bid.
The state holds the first presidential primaries in the South, and candidates of both major parties typically spend more than a year in the state ahead of those votes, introducing themselves and trying to secure support.
Republican candidates use South Carolina as a proving ground to test their anti-abortion-rights mettle.
Thursday's event, hosted by Palmetto Family Council, also gave Pence a backdrop for some of the issues for which he long advocated as an Indiana congressman-turned-governor, such as restrictions on abortion and support for the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Palmetto Family most recently helped push through a ban on most South Carolina abortions, a law now being challenged in federal court.
'We will stand with the right of every American, of every faith, to live, to work, to speak and to worship according to the dictates of their conscience,' Pence said.
Pence, who since leaving office has been doing work with the Heritage Foundation and Young America´s Foundation, has not indicated if he plans a future run.
As vice president, he made numerous trips to South Carolina, meeting several times with Governor Henry McMaster for coronavirus-related forums and campaigning in the state for Senator Lindsey Graham and House Rep. Nancy Mace.
But the question is whether Pence's former boss still looms large for the possible Republican field.
On January 6, the day of the Congressional certification, Pence was whisked away to a secure location by Secret Service agents as supporters of the then-president ransacked the US Capitol. Pence and his supporters were upset that Trump never bothered to ask how he was doing or inquire about his safety as the MAGA riot was unfolding
Trump has not explicitly stated his plans but has teased a possible bid.
On Thursday morning, asked on Fox Business about running in 2024, Trump said he's '100 per cent' thinking about it and would even possibly consider Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as his running mate.
Earlier this month, another possible GOP contender, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, said when asked about 2024 by The Associated Press that she would stand down if Trump opted to run again.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has launched an aggressive schedule, visiting states that will play a pivotal role in the 2024 primaries and signing a contract with Fox News Channel.
DeSantis has been courting donors, including in Trump's backyard, with a prominent speaking slot before the former president at a GOP fundraising retreat dinner this month at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort where Trump now lives.
Earlier Thursday, South Carolina Democratic Chair Trav Robertson said Pence was coming to the state to 'try and salvage his relationship' with Trump supporters irked that Pence didn't support efforts to block certification of the 2020 presidential election.
On Thursday, Pence promised to reveal more of his ideas soon, promising that he would be challenging the Biden administration's 'avalanche of liberal policies' as he ramps up speaking engagements around the country.
'We have the winning agenda,' Pence told Thursday's crowd.
'And now it's incumbent upon us to take that winning agenda to the American people.'
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