Mike Pence at odds with Trump's second administration, says it departed from conservative principles

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday (local time) said that US President Donald Trump's second administration has “departed” from traditional conservative principles.

Pence, who served as Trump's vice president during his first term, told NBC News that the administration is no longer committed to "the conservative agenda that has defined the Republican Party since the days of Ronald Reagan, and before that, an agenda of American leadership, limited government, free market economics, the right to life.”

Pence also noted that “on a number of those issues, the president’s been good” in the past.

No question about Trump's popularity: Pence

The former vice president stated that there's no question about Trump's popularity and added, "I give him all the credit in the world for the hold that he has on Republican voters.”

Pence said that he believes GOP voters align with the Republican Party's core conservative principles, stating that "if Republicans this fall and in 2028 hold up those time-honored conservative principles, those voters will rally to our cause.”

Most MAGA voters still back conservative principles: Pence

He also said that while he understands why most Republican primary voters support Trump-backed candidates, he believes the vast majority of people in the MAGA movement continue to support traditional conservative principles, including a strong US leadership role on the world stage, limited government, lower taxes, fewer regulations, opposition to policies such as government ownership of businesses, price controls, and broad tariffs, and a commitment to protecting unborn life.

Pence slams second Trump administration

The former vice president lashed out at the US president's current administration for not doing enough to restrict abortion pills, saying, “This administration, we see a desire to relegate the right to life to a state-only issue, to actually have a pro-abortion secretary of HHS who has done nothing to limit the availability of the abortion pill.”

He also warned that the values of Trump's second administration could affect how Republicans fare in the upcoming midterm elections in November, adding that if they win, it will only be because Democrats are too radical.

Pence hits out at Democrats

“I think in many respects Republicans have lost our way, but Democrats have lost their mind, and I think the reason why we’re going to hold the Senate, and we have a real shot to hold the House, is because of the extremism on the Democratic side,” he said, pointing specifically to the Texas Senate race.

Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton dethroned Sen. John Cornyn in the race for the GOP Senate nomination, setting up a general election matchup against Democratic nominee James Talarico.

Anti-weaponisation fund a bad idea: Pence

Pence also expressed criticism of the Department of Justice (DOJ)'s "anti-weaponisation fund," which includes roughly $1.8 billion that could be paid out to individuals who believe they have been wrongly targeted by the government. The fund was temporarily blocked last week by a federal judge.

He noted that the anti-weaponisation fund was a bad idea right from the beginning, and his advice to the current administration would be to drop it.

Pence, who was overseeing the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election results when the January 6 attack on the Capitol unfolded and was forced to leave the building for safety, said he believes most Republicans and Americans share his unfavourable opinion of the fund.

The former vice president's remarks highlight how he is at odds with Trump's second administration.