Former Vice President Mike Pence is blaming President Trump and different GOP rivals for the 2024 presidential nomination–however primarily Trump–for the assault by Hamas on Israel. In again to again assaults in a speech in Iowa on Saturday and a CNN interview on Sunday, Pence accused Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy of “appeasement” and “signaling retreat.”
Pence stated in an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, “That is what occurs when we’ve main voices like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Ron DeSantis signaling retreat from America’s position as chief of the free world….After I’m President of america, we’ll lead from American power.”
Whereas Pence additionally forged blame on Joe Biden for “setting the circumstances” for the assault, he went on in charge Trump for the assault. Pence additionally bizarrely blamed Trump for Russia’s conflict on Ukraine–connecting each assaults to Trump’s America first international coverage that really prevented conflict on Ukraine and Israel throughout his time period in workplace.
That is what occurs when we’ve main voices like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Ron DeSantis signaling retreat from America’s position as chief of the free world. After I’m President of america, we’ll lead from American Energy. pic.twitter.com/gW3HaN4fIp
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) October 8, 2023
CNN host Dana Bash requested Pence about his feedback in Iowa on Saturday the place he accused Trump of “appeasement” and signaling retreat on the world stage” (Politico excerpt):
Former Vice President Mike Pence tore into Donald Trump and pointed to isolationism within the Republican Get together as complicit within the sweeping Hamas assault on Israel, decrying American “retreat on the world stage.”
In a scathing rebuke, Pence faulted “voices of appeasement like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis that I imagine have run opposite to the custom in our occasion that America is the chief of the free world.”
Pence’s feedback in Iowa represented the primary ripple within the Republican main from the violence that erupted on Saturday — and successfully threw down a problem to Republicans he stated have “embraced the language of isolationism and appeasement.”
…“That is additionally what occurs when you might have leaders within the Republican Get together signaling retreat on the world stage,” Pence stated.
BASH: I wish to focus type of on this pressure right here. I wish to deal with what you needed to say about a few of your fellow Republicans.
You stated that that is what occurs when leaders within the Republican Get together sign People’ retreat as chief of the free world. Weak point arouses evil.
Are you speaking about your former operating mate?
PENCE: Effectively, I’m, however let me start the place we ought to start out.
I imply, that disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan has emboldened the enemies of freedom world wide. And now conflict is raging in Jap Europe. And President Joe Biden’s kowtowing for the final two-and-a- half years to the mullahs in Iran, lifting sanctions, begging them to get again within the Iran nuclear deal, after which paying $6 billion in a ransom for hostages, I feel set the circumstances for this unprecedented terrorist assault by Hamas towards Israel.
However I additionally imagine that is what occurs when we’ve main voices like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Ron DeSantis signaling retreat from America’s position as chief of the free world. I — look, what occurred in Ukraine was an unprovoked invasion by Russia. What occurred this weekend was an unprovoked invasion by Hamas into Israel.
And I actually imagine now, greater than ever, each the talk throughout the Republican Get together and the talk inside America, is whether or not or not we’re going to as soon as once more stand with out apology because the chief of the free world, because the arsenal of democracy.
The heartbreaking photos popping out of each of those theaters of operations remind us that America is the indispensable chief of the free world. And if I’m president of america, we are going to lead from American power.