Pence attacks Trump, warns Republicans against abandoning conservatism

Former United States Vice President Mike Pence has issued a strong warning to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, accusing the president of drifting away from core conservative values.

Pence made the remarks during a series of television interviews on Sunday while promoting his new book, ‘What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience’.

The former vice president said the Republican Party was facing a major internal battle between traditional conservatism and what he described as the rise of the “populist right.”

According to him, the party that once stood for limited government, free markets, traditional values and strong global leadership is now being pulled in a different direction.

Pence criticised policies embraced under Trump, including broad tariffs, government intervention in businesses and price controls, saying such policies did not reflect historic conservative principles.

He said he wrote the book because he believes there is a “new threat” to traditional conservatism within the Republican Party.

Speaking on CBS’ *Face the Nation*, Pence said Trump had never really presented himself as a conservative.

“In fact, Trump has said himself he’s not a conservative. He’s never really claimed to be,” Pence said.

The former vice president also said he was “less clear” about the political philosophy of Trump’s current vice president, JD Vance.

He warned that if Trump’s populist agenda becomes the new direction of the Republican Party, it would be bad for the party and worse for the United States.

Pence said America needed a strong conservative party committed to freedom, free markets and traditional values.

He also criticised the Trump administration over abortion policy, saying it had failed to reverse nationwide access to abortion pills made possible under former President Joe Biden.

The issue has continued to divide Republicans, with conservative activists piling pressure on Trump to take a tougher position.

Pence’s criticism marks another chapter in his long-running break with Trump, which deepened after the former vice president certified the 2020 presidential election result on January 6, 2021, despite pressure from Trump and his allies.

During the interview, Pence also weighed in on the Republican Party’s future ahead of the midterm elections.

Asked about Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, Pence stopped short of endorsing him but said he could not support Democrat James Talarico, whom he described as a radical left candidate.

Pence said Republicans had lost their way in some respects, but added that Democrats had “lost their mind.”

Despite his criticism of Trump’s direction, Pence predicted that Republicans could retain control of the Senate and still have a strong chance of holding the House.