Former Republican President Mike Pence told some Republican major donors Friday night that the party could offer no support to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in contrast to former President Trump, who called Putin “smart. “and” expert “during an interview. last week.
“There is no place in this party for Putin’s apologists,” Pence said, according to excerpts from the CBS News speech. “There is only room for the champions of freedom.”
Trump has been criticized by some members of his own party for these comments. But in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference last weekend, even after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine had begun, Trump reiterated his praise for Putin and despised American leadership.
“The problem is not that Putin is smart, of course, but the real problem is that our leaders are stupid,” Trump told the crowd.
Trump addressed the donors at the retreat on Saturday night.
An important part of Pence’s statements focused on the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. He told donors that he has been “deeply inspired” by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyand criticized some of President Biden’s foreign policy decisions, including the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Pence also claimed that NATO expansion is not responsible for the invasion of Russia. Trump often hit NATO while in office, and last week at the CPAC he criticized the leaders of NATO nations as “not so smart” for his handling of the preparations for the invasion of Russia.
“Where would our Eastern European friends be today if they weren’t in NATO?” said Pence. “Where would Russian tanks be today if NATO had not expanded the borders of freedom?”
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Pence also encouraged Republicans to look to the future instead of going back to the 2020 election if they want to succeed in the next legislature. This view also marks a clear deviation from Trump’s vision; he still talks at length about his loss in 2020 and goes on to state unfoundedly that the election was rigged.
“We can’t win by fighting yesterday’s battles, or reviving the past,” Pence said. “Elections speak for the future. My fellow Republicans, we can only win if we are united around an optimistic vision of the future based on our highest values.”
Pence is expressing his differences with Trump about a week after the former president told attendees at a private CPAC reception that they would be “very happy,” in response to a question about a career in 2024. Trump also told the crowd who knew who “they don’t want as vice president”
This is not the first time Pence has criticized his former boss. Last month he said that “Trump is wrong“To claim that Pence had the right to cancel the election. Last June, Pence said he did not know if he and Trump would.”never see eye to eye“on the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
As Pence continues to plot his future, the former vice president is expected to unveil what he calls a “freedom agenda” he developed with about 50 fellow Conservatives.
“Our goal is to help unite the Conservatives around an agenda that is optimistic, advanced and fully conservative and that can save our country from the radical left,” Pence said.
Pence accused Mr Biden of “singing from the Republican anthem” during his State of the Union address this week focusing on a secure border, funding police, keeping schools open and buying Americans. He also criticized the president’s statements on immigration reform, transgender children, and rising taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans.
He also criticized the president’s handling of the Ukraine crisis, saying Mr Biden “ruled out the deterrence that our administration has put in place to prevent Putin and Russia from even trying to redraw international borders by the force “. He believes the Biden administration should take further action to penalize Russia, including sanctioning all Russian oil exports worldwide.
Like other Republicans, Pence paints an optimistic view of what is at stake in 2022, stressing that the middle legislatures offer a rare opportunity to win a large part of the seats. He said the “smart (Democrats) are heading for the hills”, citing the more than 30 incumbents in the House who are retiring at the end of this term.
“Let’s keep our eyes clear on the opportunity before us,” Pence said. “We’re looking at a wave of Republican victory on a scale we haven’t seen since 2010, or even since the 1994 Republican Revolution. It’s really a unique opportunity in life.”
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- Mike Pence
- Donald Trump
- republican party
- Vladimir Putin
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