FILE: US President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement that Washington, DC, will host the 2027 NFL Draft, during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)
On Monday, former US vice president, Mike Pence, criticised the Trump administration’s policy on tariffs and said potential shortages could lead Americans to “demand a different approach” from the White House.
In a primetime interview with CNN, Pence discussed a range of topics, and criticised his former boss for pardoning nearly all the rioters who had been prosecuted for storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In his second term, Donald Trump has imposed wide-ranging tariffs on almost all US trading partners, claiming that other countries adopt “unfair” practices and that Washington needs to achieve a trade balance with every country.
Pence served as vice president to Trump in his first term but notably broke with the Republican billionaire over Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
Pence said he had “concerns” that Trump’s tariff policies were “essentially new industrial policy that will result in inflation, that will harm consumers, and that will ultimately harm the American economy.”
The former VP appeared to disagree with Trump on the Russia-Ukraine war, saying that Russian President, Vladimir Putin, “only understands power.”
Trump’s administration has led efforts to secure a ceasefire in the war, with officials often appearing to shift US positions to be more in line with Moscow’s on the conflict.
Trump has, however, expressed increased impatience with Putin over the stalled talks, with officials suggesting Washington would walk away from the process if there are no tangible results soon.
On the pardons for the Capitol rioters, who had stormed the seat of US legislative power in a bid to stop the certification of an election result that saw Trump lose to Joe Biden, Pence expressed disappointment.
“I was deeply disappointed to see President Trump pardon people who engaged in violence against law enforcement officers that day,” Pence said.
“The president has every right under the Constitution to grant pardons, but at that moment, I thought it sent the wrong message.”
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Trump’s supporters saw Pence’s participation in the certification of Biden’s victory as a betrayal, and chants of “Hang Mike Pence!” became common at rallies for the Republican.
Pence, however, said he was still “proud of the record of the Trump-Pence administration”.
AFP
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