Former Vice President Mike Pence, though no longer in office, remains a steadfast voice for traditional conservative values, promising to critique President Donald Trump’s second term whenever it deviates from the GOP’s core agenda.
Speaking to Fox News Digital after receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in Boston on Sunday, Pence reflected on the Trump-Pence administration’s achievements and outlined his role as a guardian of fiscal restraint, strong defense, and moral values.
“When you look at those Trump-Pence years, they were years that we governed on a conservative agenda,” the former vice president said. While commending Trump’s 2024 election win, saying he gives “President Trump all the credit in the world for an historic victory last November, and for sparing the country one more liberal Democrat administration,” Pence emphasized the need to stay true to principles like limited government and traditional values.
“I really do believe that for prosperity…for the success of our country, we need to stick to those time-honored principles of strong defense, American leadership on the world stage, less government, less taxes, traditional moral values, and the right to life, and I’m going to be a voice for that,” he added.
Advocating for Economic and Foreign Policy Consistency
Pence expressed concern over proposals floated by some House Republicans and White House advisors to raise taxes on high earners to fund Trump’s second-term initiatives, a move Trump later rejected.
“Any suggestion that I’ve heard among some in and around the administration that we raise the top margin rate, the so-called millionaires tax, would be an enormous tax increase on small business owners across America,” Pence said.
He urged making the Trump-Pence tax cuts permanent, arguing, “That’s a way to really lay a foundation to grow the economy in the days ahead.”
On foreign policy, Pence, a proponent of robust U.S. leadership, has voiced unease with Trump’s shifts away from traditional alliances, particularly urging continued support for Ukraine. During his acceptance speech, he earned a standing ovation for declaring that the U.S. “must continue to stand with Ukraine.”
His commitment to a muscular foreign policy and skepticism of populist trends within the GOP defined his unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign, which struggled to gain traction against Trump’s dominance. When asked about future political ambitions, Pence remained open but noncommittal, saying, “I leave that up to the American people,” and vowed to “be a voice” for conservative values, adding, “we’ll let the future take care of itself.”
Honored for Courage on January 6
Pence’s receipt of the Profile in Courage Award recognized his principled stand on January 6, 2021, when he defied pressure from Trump to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election results. Despite threats from rioters, some chanting “hang Mike Pence,” he fulfilled his constitutional duty, overseeing Congress’s certification of Joe Biden’s victory.
“Vice President Pence put his life, career and that of his family on the line to execute his constitutional responsibilities. His actions preserved the fundamental democratic principle of free and fair elections, and we are proud to honor him,” former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy said.
Accepting the award, Pence called it a “distinction that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” adding, “I will always believe by God’s grace that I did my duty that day.” He also addressed Trump’s recent musings about a third term, which the 22nd Amendment prohibits, stressing the importance of constitutional fidelity.
“I think there’s no higher priority for a president or any elected official to keep faith with the Constitution of the United States,” he said.
“Every single one of us takes the same oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and my hope and my prayer is for the president on down, Republicans and Democrats, will take that oath to heart, because that’s the pathway forward for our country and all the American people.”
Reflecting on public support, Pence noted, “in all my travels across the country in the last four years, I’ve been deeply humbled by how many Americans have come up to me and just taken a point to encourage us and support us, and it convinces me that the American people know that what ever differences we may have, the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand.”
