Former Vice President Mike Pence said it was disheartening to see President Donald Trump revert to the same kind of rhetoric in his second term that had contributed to the January 6 Capitol riot.
In an interview with NBC aired Sunday, Pence also voiced criticism of Trump’s tariff strategy and various foreign policy choices.
“The initial reciprocal tariffs that he unveiled would be the largest peacetime tax hike on the American people in the history of this country,” Pence said, referencing the broad tariffs Trump introduced on the nation’s major trading partners in early April.
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Supporters of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement on social media strongly criticized the former vice president over his remarks, calling him a "traitor"
"Every time they parade Mike Pence out for an interview, he reminds everyone just how much of a backstabbing traitor he really was as Trump's vice-president. Judas," wrote a MAGA supporter on the social platform X.
Another wrote: "Since Mike Pence is once again running his mouth about Donald Trump, let’s remind everyone of that Pence is a traitor. He had both a constitutional obligation and a moral responsibility to challenge the legitimacy of electoral votes from states that mysteriously halted counting in the middle of the night, something unprecedented in American history."
Trump's claims of widespread electoral fraud in the 2020 elections were widely debunked.
Another MAGA supporter @RealHickory posted a photo of Pence and wrote: "Do you consider Mike Pence a traitor? Yes or No?" The post received several responses calling Pence a traitor.
Another user wrote: "Mike Pence showing his true colors again - attacking Trump for advocating PEACE while defending the same BS wars that killed our troops and bankrupted America. What a pathetic attempt to stay relevant. This traitor stood by while J6 protesters rotted in jail, and now he's whining because Trump wants to END conflicts instead of starting new ones? Thank God Trump dumped this establishment puppet."
"Oh, look, that neocon traitor Mike Pence runs on Meet The Press to cry about President Trump and a free airplane," wrote another supporter.
In early 2021, amid intense pressure from Trump to reject the outcome of the 2020 election, Pence proceeded with the formal certification of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's victory. This followed the violent breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, when a mob of Trump supporters tried to halt the certification process.
Later, Pence publicly distanced himself from Trump, criticizing aspects of his conduct and backing political figures who opposed Trump’s endorsed candidates.
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