Former Vice President Mike Pence said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that President Donald Trump’s second administration has moved away from the traditional conservative principles long associated with the Republican Party. Pence said those principles include American leadership, limited government, free-market economics, the right to life, lower taxes, fewer regulations, and opposition to nationalizing businesses, price controls, and broad tariffs. He added that Trump remains highly popular with Republican voters and said he gives Trump credit for his influence over the party.
Pence argued that most voters in the MAGA movement still support core conservative beliefs, and he said Republicans could do well in the midterm elections and in 2028 if they stand by those ideas. At the same time, he said the GOP has “lost our way” in some respects. He suggested Republican victories this fall would be driven more by voter opposition to Democrats than by broad satisfaction with the party’s direction. He pointed to what he described as Democratic extremism, including the Texas Senate race, where Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary and will face Democratic nominee James Talarico in the general election.
A major focus of Pence’s criticism was the Trump administration’s handling of abortion policy. He said the White House has not done enough to restrict abortion pills and accused the administration of treating abortion as a state-level issue rather than a national pro-life cause. Pence also criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling him pro-abortion and saying he has done nothing to limit access to abortion medication.
Pence also condemned the Justice Department’s “anti-weaponization fund,” which includes nearly $1.8 billion and could provide payouts to people who say they were unfairly targeted by the federal government. A federal judge temporarily blocked the fund last week. Pence said the program should be dropped entirely and called it “deeply offensive” that it could possibly compensate people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. He noted that Trump pardoned about 1,500 people charged in connection with the attack after returning to office for a second term.
Pence, who was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters stormed the building and was evacuated during the attack, said the idea of paying people who assaulted police officers or damaged the Capitol is unacceptable. He said that view is shared broadly by Republicans and Americans. Throughout the interview, Pence balanced praise for Trump’s political strength with sharp criticism of the direction of his administration, especially on issues tied to constitutional norms, conservative economics, and abortion.
