INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.–Former Vice President Mike Pence touted his plan to end inflation at a campaign stop in his home state, making a bid to focus the campaign on the bread-and-butter issues facing Americans rather than Washington political drama.
“Two out of three American families will tell you that they’re living paycheck to paycheck. This is real. Whatever the politicians and the national media are talking about on any given day, this is what I hear from people across the state and across this nation,” Mr. Pence told a crowd of about 100 people at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Aug. 2.
“And I promise you, if you give me the privilege of being the President of the United States of America, we’re going to end inflation in America and get this economy growing again, so help me God.”
Mr. Pence blamed President Joe Biden’s economic policies for a sharp rise in the price of basic goods over the past two years.
“Gas prices shot back up at their most rapid rate last week,” Mr. Pence said. “They’re still 60 percent higher than the day we left office. Ground beef is up 20 percent, and chicken breast 29 percent. Potatoes are up 31 percent.
Shrink Government, Boost Business
The Pence plan aims to end inflation by reducing federal spending, changing Federal Reserve policy, returning manufacturing to the United States, and increasing domestic energy production.“If I’m president, we’re going to end deficit spending. We’re going to put America back on a path to a balanced budget,” Mr. Pence said. He also promised to repeal more than $3 trillion in new spending by the Biden administration, end student loan forgiveness, and freeze non-defense discretionary spending.
“Since 2020, the [Federal Reserve System] has actually printed $5 trillion in American currency,” he said. “Every new dollar in circulation decreases the value of your dollar in your bank account. It’s just basic economics. So to fight inflation, we’ve got to stop printing money in Washington, D.C.”
Later asked whether tightening the money supply would hurt the real estate market or small businesses, Mr. Pence told The Epoch Times that his plan is not about either increasing or decreasing the money supply.
“It’s really about having a Federal Reserve that stays focused on protecting the dollar instead of trying to prime the pump through lowering interest rates or zeroing out interest rates,” he said.
Mr. Pence said the Federal Reserve System is charged with two tasks: protecting the U.S. dollar against inflation and promoting full employment. The Pence plan would limit the Federal Reserve’s mandate to ensure the value of the dollar, he said.
“We’re going to make it job one, and job one only, for the Federal Reserve to protect the integrity of the dollar. And we’re going to leave the command of full employment to our president and our Congress,” the former vice president said.
Mr. Pence renewed his pledge to reform Social Security but said any changes would not affect people under age 40.
“I think we can transform these New Deal programs into a better deal. We can preserve them for future generations, and we can prevent America from the debt crisis facing your generation,” he said.
To boost American manufacturing, Mr. Pence promised tax cuts and deregulation. “We’re going to bring manufacturing back to the United States of America and lower the cost of creating goods in our country,” he said. That includes making the Trump-era tax cuts, which are scheduled to sunset in 2025, permanent, and cutting three government regulations for each new one.
The United States was a net exporter of energy during the previous administration, said Mr. Pence, promising to take action to allow increased oil and gas production.
“There is no more effective way to tackle inflation than unleashing American energy, and we will do it.”
Respectful Attention
Attendees listened attentively to Mr. Pence’s remarks and applauded at several points, though many in the crowd admitted to having little knowledge of politics or economics.“I’m kind of new to this,” Trevor Frank of Indianapolis told The Epoch Times. “I’m just checking things out and trying to see what people have to say.”
Several others said they had been unaware that Mr. Pence, who served as Indiana’s governor from 2013 to 2016, was running for president.
“I’m not interested in politics,” one fair attendee told The Epoch Times. “I just like seeing celebrities.”
Others were more enthusiastic about Mr. Pence.
“I liked what he did as governor and vice president,” Jerry Sikes of Indianapolis told The Epoch Times. Mr. Sikes added that he was unsure if Mr. Pence could defeat former President Donald Trump to win the Republican nomination.
Paula Miller of Indianapolis, who describes herself as a conservative Catholic, likes Mr. Pence’s policy statements and his temperament.
“He’s pro-life,” she said. “I just like his conservative nature. I like how respectful he is. He’s not a my-way-or-the-highway kind of guy. He listens to people.”
Ms. Miller, who voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020, is unsure that he would be elected in 2024 if nominated.
“I’m afraid Republicans won’t vote for Trump if he gets on the ticket because he’s a loose cannon,” Ms. Miller said.
“I think a lot of Republicans don’t like him anymore. But, for some reason, the polls aren’t showing that.”
She is concerned that a Trump nomination would cause many Republicans to vote elsewhere.
“I won’t vote for [Mr. Trump]. I’ve already made that decision,” she said.
Mr. Pence, who is polling at 4 percent to former President Donald Trump’s 53 percent, faces a formidable challenge in claiming the Republican nomination.
Mr. Trump was indicted on a third round of felony charges the day prior to Mr. Pence’s appearance at the fairgrounds, this time related to his alleged actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
“The president is entitled to a presumption of innocence,” Mr. Pence told reporters on Aug. 2.
“For my part, I want people to know that I had no right to overturn the election. What the president maintained that day and, frankly, said over and over again over the last two and a half years, is completely false.”
Mr. Pence said he immediately rejected the notion that he, as vice president, had the constitutional authority to dismiss the electoral vote results. “Sadly, the President was surrounded by a group of crackpot lawyers who kept telling him what his itching ears wanted to hear,” Mr. Pence said. “Ultimately, the president continued to demand that I choose him over the Constitution.”
“I will always stand on the Constitution of the United States,” Mr. Pence said.
“Our country is more important than any one man.”
