Archive for the ‘Mike Pence’ Category

Mike Pence deflects questions about West Wing infighting – Washington Examiner

Vice President Mike Pence sidestepped questions on Tuesday about the ongoing infighting that has plagued the West Wing, and instead praised President Trump for his "strong leadership" and for embracing the strength of the U.S. "without apology."

"Our administration, now seven months old, has seen America restored more than 1 million jobs at home," Pence said Tuesday during a news conference with Argentine President Mauricio Macri. "But also, what the world has seen under President Donald Trump is an American president who is once again embracing our historic role as leader of the free world without apology."

Pence was asked if the infighting among West Wing staff, including attacks on National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, hurt his efforts to present a strong, unified message on the world stage.

The vice president was also asked if he felt additional changes to staff were needed to eliminate the public infighting, a reference to speculation that White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has been behind the whisper campaign against McMaster and may be on his way out.

But instead of addressing the drama in the West Wing, Pence again praised Trump's "strong leadership."

"In a very real sense, I believe President Trump has restored the credibility of American power by being willing to take American values and American interests on to the world stage," he said.

"While we're putting America first, as I said earlier, the world is getting the message that America first doesn't mean America alone," Pence continued. "My presence here is to bring together nations around the world. To work toward our common interest and to achieve results, and I believe the results speak for themselves."

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Mike Pence deflects questions about West Wing infighting - Washington Examiner

Registration to see VP Mike Pence at Aug. 19 Americans for Prosperity summit in Richmond open – Richmond.com

Registration is still open for those who wish to attend the Aug. 19 Americans for Prosperity summit at the Richmond Marriott featuring Vice President Mike Pence.

Pence will be the keynote speaker for the 11th annual volunteer conference of the national conservative policy advocacy organization backed by billionaires Charles and David Koch.

The event is set for 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Marriott at 500 E. Broad St. Americans for Prosperity says a $50 general admission ticket will give attendees access to programming and a boxed lunch will be included. People who wish to attend can register at http://www.defendingthedream.com.

The event, coming less than three months before Virginias general election, also will feature Ed Gillespie, the GOP nominee for governor. Pence also will speak at a Gillespie fundraiser elsewhere in Richmond that Saturday.

In recent weeks, AFP has reported spending more than $288,000 in an effort to defeat Gillespies Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam, paying for items such as mailers and door hangers, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonpartisan tracker of money in state politics.

Other speakers at the AFP summit will include Del. M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights, Republican legislators pick to be the next speaker of the House of Delegates; U.S. Rep. Dave Brat, R-7th; and Steve Forbes, a former presidential hopeful who is chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media.

Virginia is the only Southern state that President Donald Trump did not win in November. The president remains unpopular in Virginia. In a Quinnipiac University poll released this week, 36 percent approved of the presidents job performance and 61 percent disapproved.

Gillespie for months appeared to hold the president at arms length, emphasizing Virginia issues as he campaigned around the state. Northam has stood by his criticism of Trump as a narcissistic maniac. Corey Stewart, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors chairman who nearly defeated Gillespie in the June GOP primary, has urged him to embrace and court Trumps supporters.

During his first debate with Northam, Gillespie said Northams characterization of Trump would not help Virginia protect its military installations or gain federal transportation dollars. On Tuesday, Gillespie tweeted: Appreciate @realDonaldTrumps commitment + investment to tackle the opioid crisis and added a link to his own plan for Virginia.

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Registration to see VP Mike Pence at Aug. 19 Americans for Prosperity summit in Richmond open - Richmond.com

Mike Pence joins Trump in endorsing Luther Strange on day of Alabama Senate special election primary – Washington Examiner

Vice President Mike Pence is joining President Trump in endorsing Luther Strange in the Alabama Senate special election primary, as people headed to the polls on Tuesday.

"Luther Strange has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with President @realDonaldTrump and is supporting our agenda to #MAGA," he said in a tweet.

Trump endorsed Strange last week, and reiterated that support on Monday, mentioning that Strange is "strong on Border & Wall, the military, tax cuts & law enforcement."

Strange has been serving as senator since Jeff Sessions became Trump's attorney general in February.

Also in the running for the GOP nomination is Rep. Mo Brooks, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, and former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Roy Moore.

The top two winners will advance to a runoff if no one is able to get 50 percent of the vote. The special election is on Dec. 12.

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Mike Pence joins Trump in endorsing Luther Strange on day of Alabama Senate special election primary - Washington Examiner

VP Mike Pence: US not going to stand by while Venezuela ‘crumbles’ – ABC News

Vice President Mike Pence, speaking from Colombia, emphasized today the U.S. has "many options" when it comes to dealing with the crisis in Venezuela.

"What's appropriate is for the United States of America to make it clear that we have, as the president said, many options on Venezuela," Pence said in an interview with NBC News. "We're simply not going to tolerate seeing Venezuela collapse into dictatorship."

"President Trump has made it clear - were simply not going to stand by while Venezuela crumbles," he continued.

Venezuela has recently been rocked by violent protests and political unrest. In a controversial vote in July, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro installed a constitutional assembly of his supporters, with the power to rewrite the country's constitution.

Trump's national security adviser H.R. McMaster later labeled Maduro a "dictator" and called into question the freedom of the country's elections. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also announced economic sanctions targeting Maduro's "regime."

According to The Associated Press, more than 120 people have died during four months of protests.

President Donald Trump told reporters last Friday at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, that he's not going to rule out military intervention in the country.

"We have many options for Venezuela. And, by the way, I'm not going to rule out a military option," Trump said.

After meeting with Venezuelan families and local faith leaders Monday morning in Cartagena, Colombia, Pence told reporters traveling with him in Latin America that the U.S. stands with the families fleeing Venezuela.

Pence also stressed that the U.S. is absolutely determined to bring the full measure of American economic and diplomatic power to bear until we see democracy restored in Venezuela.

The vice president argued that a failed state in Venezuela threatens U.S. security and prosperity and would lead to an increase of illegal immigration on the southern border.

ABC News' Adam Kelsey contributed to this report.

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VP Mike Pence: US not going to stand by while Venezuela 'crumbles' - ABC News

Anthony Scaramucci Thinks Mike Pence Will Succeed Donald Trump as President – Newsweek

Mike Pence has flatly denied rumors and reports he is preparing to succeed President Donald Trump as the 46th president of the United States.

But that didnt stop Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director, from coining a potentially prophetic nickname for the vice president.

Scaramucci revealed that, during his brief stint in the White House, he referred to Pence by the nickname 46a clear reference to the next POTUS.

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Im probably not allowed to say this, but I do have a nickname for the vice president, said Scaramucci during a nearly 52-minute Q&A session broadcast live on Periscope on Sunday.

Hes going to be mad at me for telling you guys, but my nickname for the vice president is 46, so that will give you a sense for how much I like the vice president.

Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence acknowledges the crowd as he walks onstage to deliver a speech on the third day of the Republican Convention on July 20, 2016. John Moore/Getty

Scaramucci did not elaborate on whether he thought Pence would succeed Trump in the 2020 election or whether the former Indiana governor would take over should Trump resign or be forced to step down before the end of his term.

Related: Could Mike Pence be the next president? How Gerald Ford picked up the pieces after Nixon

Scaramucci also said that Pence was the first person in the West Wing that he apologized to after giving an explosive interview to New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza, in which he called ex-White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus a fucking paranoid schizophrenic. He also told Lizza that he was not like Trump strategist Steve Bannon in that Im not trying to suck my own c**k.... Im not trying to build my brand off the fucking strength of the president.

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci talks with reporters during 'Regional Media Day' at the White House in Washington, DC on July 25. Chip Somodevilla/Getty

An excerpt from the same interview published in a later New Yorker article had Scaramucci saying that Nick Ayers, Pences chief of staff, was in the White House to protect the vice president because the vice president cant believe what the fuck is going on.

The vice president probably is a person that Ive never heard say any words like that in a private or public setting, said Scaramucci. He was the first person I went to apologize to, and, being a gracious human being, he accepted my apology.

A recent report in The New York Times claimed that Pence was one of multiple Republicans preparing a shadow campaign to run for president in 2020 after becoming disillusioned with Trump. Pence issued a statement calling the article disgraceful and offensive to me, my family and our entire team. He addedthat the American people know that I could not be more honored to be working side by side with a president who is making America great again.

But while Pence has remained publicly loyal to Trump, some of his actions have added to the rumors of a presidential run. Pence launched a political action committee, known as the Great America Committee, in Maythe first time a sitting vice president has set up a PAC. Hehas also distanced himself from the controversy surrounding a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian government lawyer during the 2016 campaign.

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Anthony Scaramucci Thinks Mike Pence Will Succeed Donald Trump as President - Newsweek