DES MOINES, Iowa—Former Vice President Mike Pence took the stage at a town hall meeting on June 7 to define himself as a principled leader who has the experience and character to dig the country out of domestic difficulties and reestablish it as the champion of freedom on the world stage.
The candidate, standing at center stage, outlined mostly unsurprising Republican positions on a range of domestic and international issues, and responded to questions from moderator Dana Bash of CNN and members of the audience.
Some 125 Iowa voters and guests attended the 90-minute event at Grand View University in Des Moines.
Yet the unseen presence in the room was former President Donald Trump, who was named or referred to some 35 times during the event.
Pence displayed more civility than toughness, which may have been by design, yet stated unequivocal positions on issues including the economy, Ukraine, gender transition for children, climate change, and mass shootings.
Pence Versus Trump
Bash and some audience members questioned Pence on issues related to Trump, including whether he would confront the former president about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, whether he would consider a pardon if Trump is convicted of a crime, the alignment of their views on immigration policy, and even whether Pence would support Trump as the Republican nominee in 2024.Pence at first tried to redirect attention to kitchen-table issues that distinguish him from President Joe Biden.
“I’m running because I think this country is in a lot of trouble; I think President Joe Biden and the Democrats have weakened America at home and abroad,“ Pence said. ”Literally, we have a crisis at our border. We have inflation at a 40-year high. We have a crime wave in our cities. And frankly, that disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan has emboldened the enemies of freedom around the world.”
The former vice president said he believes that no criminal charges should be brought against Trump related to the discovery of classified documents in his home.
“We’re the symbol of justice in the world, and the serious matter which has already happened once in New York, of indicting a former president in the United States, sends a terrible message to the world. I hope the DOJ thinks better of it and resolves these issues without an indictment,” Pence said.
On Social Security policy, Pence distanced himself from Trump. He believes that Social Security and Medicare must be reformed to keep them solvent in the future. While he didn’t prescribe specific solutions, he advocated tackling the problem head-on to avoid bankrupting the trust funds.
“The hard truth is Social Security and Medicare are tracking for bankruptcy in the next five or 10 years and under the law,” he said.
“That’s why it’s incomprehensible to me that Joe Biden refuses even to have a conversation with members of either political party about some commonsense reforms that would put Social Security and Medicare back on a solid foundation.
“It’s also disappointing to me that, that Donald Trump’s position on entitlement reform is identical to Joe Biden’s. I mean their policy is insolvency,” Pence said.
Pence also repeated his critique of Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
“When the president asserted that I had the right to overturn the election, I said today that I felt that he was asking me to choose between him and the Constitution. I chose the Constitution, and I always will,” Pence said.
Later, pressed by Bash, Pence made an even stronger statement about his former boss.
Ghost of Ronald Reagan
Former President Ronald Reagan also haunted the halls of Grand View University. Pence mentioned the 40th president twice, referring to Reagan’s ideals as his reason for joining the Republican party. Pence also borrowed the phrase “peace through strength,” which was often used by Reagan though not original to him.A campaign video released earlier in the day evoked Reagan’s optimism and vision for America as a “shining city on the hill” to set the stage for Pence’s campaign.
“I believe that democracy depends on heavy doses of civility,” Pence stated twice, calling listeners to return to a more conversational and collaborative approach to solving national problems. The country needs leaders who can “generate an environment of civility and respect for people across the political spectrum that allows us to get to the table and figure it out.”
Stances
While Pence’s stance on most issues is typical for a conservative Republican, some positions may differentiate him from other GOP candidates.He favors continued military support for Ukraine.
“We’re the arsenal of democracy,” he said. “I hold to what we used to call the Reagan Doctrine ... he said our policy in the United States will be that if you’re willing to fight the communists in your country, we’ll give you the means to fight them there, so we don’t have to fight them here.”
Pence advocates a compassionate but firm approach to resolving the problem of illegal immigration. He would finish building the wall, but wouldn’t separate families at the border.
Swift execution should be the punishment for convicted mass shooters, he says.
Peace Through Civility?
One question unasked and unanswered during the event was whether voters would opt for Pence’s polite, even bland, civility over Trump’s combative, personality-driven leadership.The nature of the choice is evident in statements made by both candidates in the 2024 campaign.
“I just think we’ve got to get back to the kind of politics that reflects the decency and civility that the American people show each other every day,“ Pence said. ”I believe we will, and I hope to be a part of it.”
Meanwhile, Trump told a Conservative Political Action Conference audience in March: “In 2016, I declared, ‘I am your voice.’ Today, I add: I am your warrior, I am your justice, and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”
A June 6 poll by FiveThirtyEight shows Trump at 54 percent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis polled at 21 percent, and Pence a distant third at 5 percent.
The success of Pence’s campaign may hinge on convincing voters that his quiet determination is actually a sign of great strength.
