Donald Trump “was” his friend, President Biden is a “disaster” and Democratic mega-donor George Soros is a “puppet master”, former Vice President Mike Pence said in an exclusive interview with The Post.
Pence, 64, who entered the increasingly crowded 2024 GOP presidential race this week, gave candid responses when asked to respond quickly to names on the news.
Some elicited quick responses while others took longer, reminiscent of when he asked about Hunter Biden.
“Time to answer the questions,” he finally said after almost a minute of thought.
Other responses got here much faster, reminiscent of when he was introduced to Bud Light.
“Not anymore,” Pence said.
The beer brand has seen its #2 position drop sharply on the earth after partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The word “transgender” prompted a fast response: “We must protect our kids.”
![Mike Pence gave an interview at the New York Post office in New York.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012705845.jpg?w=1024)
Pence faces the fragile task of trumpeting his history as a loyal vp while convincing voters that they need to elect him over his former boss Donald Trump, who was indicted this week for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
Pence called the show “a tragic day for our country” but in addition added that “the indictment incorporates serious allegations and I cannot defend what’s alleged.”
According to a Quinnipiac University poll, Pence is currently in the one digits while Trump leads the pack with 53% support. released Wednesday.
“I’ll all the time be happy with the achievements of the Trump administration,” Pence said.
“I actually have all the time been loyal to President Trump. . . until my loyalty to the Structure required me to act otherwise,” he added, referring to his refusal to help reverse Trump’s defeat within the 2020 presidential election.
When asked how Trump’s alleged misconduct differed from secret documents found at Pence’s home – for which he wouldn’t be charged – he was quick to indicate that he had fully cooperated with authorities after the files were discovered.
“I’m glad they got here to the conclusion that it was an innocent mistake. But let me be clear. It was a mistake. I took full responsibility for this because protecting classified material in the US is a really serious matter,” he said.
![Mike Pence.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012701357-1.jpg?w=1024)
![As a presidential candidate, Pence has to balance between attacking his former boss while avoiding his own culpability in these criticisms.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012705861.jpg?w=675)
Nonetheless, Pence was relentless in his criticism of the Department of Justice and the FBI.
“Americans have lost confidence within the Department of Justice. And if I develop into president of the US on day one, we’ll clean the home on the highest floor of the Department of Justice and produce in an entire latest group of individuals,” Pence said.
Among the many departures on the primary day was FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom Pence had promised to fire.
![Pence told The Post that if elected president, he would fire FBI director Chris Wray](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000011296709-2.jpg?w=1024)
Pence was not afraid to draw points of contrast with Trump and other Republicans in Ukraine.
“After I take a look at where my ex-probate and albeit, others in the sphere want to take our party … You already know, with war raging in Eastern Europe, my ex-proxy and others on this primary would scale back America’s commitment as leaders to the free world and arsenal democracy,” he said.
Trump has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a “holocaust” and promised to end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in “24 hours” – but has to this point refused to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was in favor of an agreement that will allow Russia to “take over” some areas of Ukraine.
He also criticized Trump – and the administration of which Pence was a component – over the economy.
“Truthfully, we have not done nearly as good a job as we could by way of controlling spending. And the reality is, we now have a national debt the scale of our country’s economy today,” Pence admitted.
Through the Trump-Pence administration, the nation has passed through three debt ceiling increases without corresponding spending cuts – in stark contrast to the recent bipartisan deal negotiated between President Biden and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy that limited future spending.
The national debt increased by $7.8 trillion in the course of the Trump years in office.
![George Soros.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000012600761-1.jpg?w=1024)
“Donald Trump’s policy is similar as Joe Biden’s. I mean, each of them have refused to engage in any discussion of Social Security and Medicare reform,” Pence said, noting Trump’s longstanding opposition to cutting unsustainable entitlement spending.
Pence also reiterated his pro-life credentials, saying he would sign a federal abortion ban introduced by Senator Lindsay Graham that will ban the procedure after 15 weeks – and can be open to even stricter restrictions, reminiscent of a six-week ban signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“My former running mate began blaming the Roe vs. Wade overthrow for the ’22 election loss, suggesting that pro-life laws in states across the country is simply too harsh,” Pence said, saying he plans to lean heavily on his pro-life bona fide.
![While he insisted he remained loyal to Trump, Pence said it was time for someone new in 2024.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/NYPICHPDPICT000010254848.jpg?w=1024)
On the coronavirus pandemic, Pence has widely defended his administration’s efforts – and declined to say whether Trump must have fired Dr. Anthony Fauci. DeSantis argued that he should.
“I thought of it very deeply,” said Pence. “I regret the best way Dr. Fauci has develop into a logo and justification for the heavy hand of Democratic governors and mayors. And that’s considered one of the teachings we should always learn. But ultimately, I’m very happy with what Americans achieved in the course of the worst pandemic in 100 years.”