Mike Pence’s former vice president positions himself as “a constructive force of a conservative agenda” as one of the few Republicans trying to challenge him in President Donald Trump’s second term. It’s there.
“Well, for me, that’s always the first principle. It’s not personal,” Pence said in an interview with the Associated Press.
Despite being publicly dropped out with Trump following the riot at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, Pence supports the new Trump administration on issues he agreed to, but challenges others. He said that it would be.
Pence’s political advocacy group, advancing American freedom, spent nearly $1 million on ads against Trump’s newly confirmed health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Former Vice President Mike Pence (Julia Demarie Nikinson/AP Photo/Bloomberg by Getty Image) held at Rotunda, the US Capitol on January 20, 2025.
The former vice president said he and those who work for him received “many quiet encouragement” against Kennedy. Pence discovers that “nomination of abortion rights supporters will become HHS’ secretary to “in order to be a dramatic departure from the powerful 50-year life-system leader at HHS under the Republican administration.” He said he needs to discover what is necessary.
Asked if Republicans were reluctant to publicly oppose Trump, Pence said, “I will never speculate about my motivation. I am not used to town. I have a lonely fight before. “We played out.”
“But you know, you’re willing to step down and lead,” the former vice president said. “My hope is that when the next issue of life appears, people are encouraged and encouraged to know that they are not alone.”
Regarding the nomination of RFK Jr., American Freedom Chairman Tim Chapman told Fox News Digital that the group “has said nothing particularly about life’s issues, not to mention some of the other concerns, but also the duties and responsibilities. He said he believes he’s going to abandon him.”
“I think he’s more likely to be better in life than if we hadn’t been involved in any of the issues,” Chapman said. “Part of being constructive is squeezing and sending market signals when management or Republican leaders may try to move in a direction not connected to conservative principles., me They don’t even see them as our job to win all of them.
In the second Trump terminology, Chapman said, “There is a much stronger echo chamber on the outside, and it does more than encourage Republicans and external groups to line up with the administration that are currently encouraged. There is,” he insisted. He said, “Creating an atmosphere that may oppose candidates and policy decisions is what we choose to keep up with that time and not publish those differences.”
“The environment remains permanent and we also know if that time echo chamber will serve the president’s well or ultimately not to him. I don’t agree,” Chapman told Fox News Digital. . “We try our best constructively and make our points, you know, and when we don’t agree, we try to make sure that we vote for policy views. I’m trying to help push priorities at the finish line.”
Advancing American freedom is currently lobbying Lori Chavez Deremar, the choice for Trump’s Secretary of Labor, and accusing her of being a praise union. Pence’s group plans to spend the next few months to increase military spending, reduce deficits and make the Trump 2017 tax cuts permanent, but to Trump’s allies, former vice presidents and people working for him They are trying to persuade him to suspend the implementation of tariffs, claiming that they will never take on the “trump” mantle.
Pence has provided speeches urging Trump to stand up to his longtime foreign allies and members of Congress, but his aides have written letters and opinions columns. Advance American freedom and they will praise the administration when they agree to it, and raise concerns when they don’t, while they put forward the backseat of Trump’s “American great” brand of populism They say they are advocating longstanding conservative principles that they believe they took.
“We’re calling the ball and the strike here,” Pence told the Associated Press. “I think the way we want to approach this is to have integrity in principle. And I’m very encouraged. I think the Trump administration is off to a great start… me. is very pleased with the President reverting Biden’s border policies and reverting the policies we have negotiated and established to secure borders.”
Pence believes that “some of the party’s prominent voices embraced the idea of more populist people,” but “the overwhelming majority of people who have voted for Republicans have come to terms with a conservative agenda or conservative He thinks he thinks he thinks differently than those who thought he thought when he paid tribute to the agenda. A few years ago or since. “In order to support his opinion, the former Vice President said. It reminded me of my interactions with farmers at a campaign stop in Iowa, triggered by the attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023.
President Donald Trump will greet former Vice President Mike Pence at the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter at Washington National Cathedral on January 9, 2025 (Chip Somodevila/Getty Images)
“Absolutely everything” has brought about reforms to put finances in the financial home, to continue their fight and support for limited government, to keep the finances in the home of finances. Even though he said he agreed, the right to order and life, “The former vice president recalls how farmers said they couldn’t vote for him in 2024, “This time it was for Trump.”
“And he’s going, but I’ll see you in four years. You will one day become a great president,” said Pence, who briefly pursued the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. “I said, ‘Would you please tell me, why, why?’ and he said I never forgot. He lamented Biden’s failed record. , they can do it to me. And the “legal” stuff has become a higher relief. ”
Mike Pence, another former Trump official, introduced how he accused Trump of “dangerous” in the Harris campaign
“So in this last election, we didn’t see a Republican who embraced the vision of pulling back from America’s commitment to the big government and the world stage, or alienating the right to life,” Pence said. He told the Associated Press. “I haven’t seen travelling around the country, but I haven’t seen it yet. I think there were other factors that gave the former president the advantages he was voted on. He won that. He won it, and he won in the fall.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Chapman agreed. “I think he’s seen it first hand and when you see what they believe in Republican voters and issues, I think we’ve all traveled around the country. There’s not much change in the party.” said Chapman. “The average Republican voter still feels very strong about limited government, and feels very strong about traditional values, and against the left, progressive attacks on traditional values and strong defense I feel very strong about it. For conservative voters who have not changed in any way, in shape, shape, shape.”
“A lot of the reason they wanted to get Trump back is because of how successful the first Trump administration was with those issues,” he continued. “The policy set has not changed… There was a response to left-wing out-of-control laws and uncontrolled cancellation cultures, and Trump was considered the subject of that. Instincts from Americans and Republican voters
Pence told the Associated Press last month that he went to Trump’s inauguration and “I was very moved by the kind words and expressions of gratitude from former colleagues, including many members of the new administration I met in the hallway.” He said. When he saw Trump’s new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Pence gave him a hug and said, “I told him how proud I am of him.”
“When he was chosen, we were celebrating him from here,” Pence told the Associated Press. “I must have seen and interacted with about half of the cabinets coming in.”
At the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, Pence said he had a “very heartfelt exchange” with Trump. As Trump came down the front row of the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, Pence recalled that he said “Hello, Mike.” Pence reached for Trump, “Congratulations, President,” and “I could see his expression softened. And he said, “Thank you.”
Al Gore, Mike Pence and Karen Pence sit behind Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W., Laura Bush, Barack Obama, Donald and Melania Trump. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“You know, people who know me know it’s not personal,” Pence told the Associated Press. “Ever since we forgive the President for the differences we had at the end of our administration, we still have the view that the President has the authority to say, as far as I know, I have none of them, so we They still have their differences: under the constitution or law of the country.
The AP also asked Pence about the virus moment at the funeral. His wife, former second lady Karen Pence, refused to acknowledge President Trump’s election or Shake Melania Trump’s hand.
“My wife loves her husband. And I love her wife, I have great respect for her, and to those who thanked us both that day. I was really moved,” Pence said. “But again, I want to emphasize that we are looking here. You always thought you would always be in the position the President took on January 6th. Ta.”
In his book, Pence explains that he and Trump “really parted ways with very friendly words, very good words,” but in the spring, Trump said, “the constitution and the constitution are I said that when I went back to rhetoric about how I could not do that. The law would allow the Vice President to do, and then I just went our separate ways. I decided that it was important.”
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“But hope gushs out forever,” Pence said. “And we want to be a constructive force on the conservative agenda. I think that’s good for the administration. That’s good for Congress. More importantly, it’s good for America.”
Chapman reiterated with Fox News Digital that Pence’s work in Trump’s second term was not inherently personal, but pointed to Pence when he served in Congress. Vision of governance. ”
“What you’re seeing now is almost going back to form,” Chapman said. “So I definitely don’t think there’s anything personal there.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Daniel Wallace is a news and political reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and to X:@danimwallace.
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