Mike Pence rolls out new policy plan that puts more distance between him and Trump

In yet another sign that Mike Pence is running for the White House in 2024 - and distancing himself from Donald Trump - the former vice president plans to release a policy platform today that projects him as the future of the Republican party.

While not mentioning the former president by name, Pence said on a Wednesday afternoon conference call with POLITICO and several other news outlets, where he previewed his policy agenda, “Elections are about the future, and frankly the opposition would love nothing more for conservatives to talk about the past or to talk of the mess they’ve made of the president.”

“And I think by relentlessly focusing on the future we can stop the radical left, we can turn this country around, we can win the Congress and state houses back in 2022, and we can win back America in 2024 and beyond,” he added.

In contrast to Trump, Pence's 19-page platform also takes a stand against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump referred to Putin as a “genius” for invading Ukraine, but in Pence's view “Russia harms American interests by threatening American allies,” and that “Putin undermines freedom and democracy at home and abroad.”

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Pence’s agenda references a need for election reform, calling for mandatory voter identification, a prohibition on in-person voting more than 10 days before an election and says mail-in voting should be “rare.” But it makes no mention of the 2020 race, which Trump continues to say was rigged against him.

Also on the Wednesday call was Marc Short, Pence’s former chief of staff, who said of Pence, “He strongly believes it’s important to have a forward-looking agenda for the American people and not look backward."