Interview CNN: Former Vice of Trump criticizes tariffs, Russia and January 6

Former United States Vice President Mike Pence criticized President Donald Trump’s fares on Monday, arguing that an impending “price shock” in the economy and potential scarcity will lead Americans to “demand a different approach” from the White House.

In an interview with Kaitlan Collins, from CNN Pence rejected Trump’s recent comments that children in the United States will have to be content with less toys.

Pence also sees some of the Republican actions as drastic ruptures of policies applied in the first term. This includes “weak support for Ukraine” in the war with Russia and the “marginalization of the right to life” which, according to the former vice-president, was the choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of health and human services.

Now, observing Trump’s return to power from afar, Pence said he plans to publicly present arguments on these issues – in part so that Trump can hear other views that those in the White House are not presenting.

“Whatever the future reserves me, I will try to be a consistent voice for those conservative values ​​that I believe are not just the right policy for the Republican Party, but also the best way to a boundless future for the American people,” said Pence.

The former vice-president’s comments were made a day after he received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his actions on January 6, 2021, the day when Trump supporters attacked the capitol. Pence faced pressure from Trump to use his constitutional role in charging the counting of the electoral college votes to try to nullify the result of the 2020 presidential election.

In the interview, which took place at the JFK Presidential Library in Boston, Pence said Trump “sent the wrong message” by forgiving or commuting the sentences of over a thousand supporters who revolted in the Capitol.

“I was deeply disappointed to see President Trump forgive people who were involved in acts of violence against police that day. The president has all the right, according to the Constitution, of granting perdons, but at that time I thought it conveyed the wrong message,” said the former vice president.

Pence’s wife and daughter were with him in the capitol that day, and some protesters shouted “hanging Mike Pence.” The former vice president remembered that he saw US capitol police running to protect the building even after some were injured.

“None of them shaken,” he said. “His courage, his bravery, must be acclaimed by future generations, because they guaranteed the possession of the capitol and allowed us to gather us again on the same day and conclude our work under the Constitution.”

Tariffs “are not a victory for the American people”

Pence argued that the trump’s first Trump government’s commercial approach-including the renegotiation of a pact with Canada and Mexico and specific tariffs on Chinese imports-was successful.

But he said Trump is taking a very different way now.

“I am concerned that, with the president’s appeal for broad tariffs against friends and enemies, ultimately the government is promoting policies that are not directed to countries that have abused our business relationship, but which are essentially new industrial policies that will result in inflation, which will damage consumers and who will ultimately harm the US economy,” he said.

During the first Trump administration, Pence said he had “many long conversations” with the US president. He acknowledged that the two have profound philosophical differences on the subject, with Trump defending a “historical view that, in the end, a certain minimum limit of tariffs about all products that enter the country will serve the American public and our economy.”

Pence said he believes in “free trade with free nations.”

“We should involve our business partners around the free world to reduce commercial barriers, non -tariff barriers and subsidies,” he said. “But when it comes to authoritarian regimes, we must be firm, remain firm and demand that they open their markets and respect our intellectual property.”

But Pence added: “I think this version of tariff policy, which is wide, indiscriminate, applying tariffs to friends and enemies equally, is not a victory for the American people.”

Pence said Americans can quickly face a financial shock when the 90 -day break announced by Trump on April 10 – about the high “reciprocal” tariffs he previously imposed – suspended. He also warned about potential scarcity.

“I am concerned that when the so -called 90 -day break is over, even the government has admitted that there may be a price shock in the economy and there may be scarcity,” said Pence.

Pence was asked about Trump’s recent comment that “maybe children have two dolls instead of 30, you know? And maybe the two dolls cost a few dollars more than they would normally cost.”

He said cheap products are part of what allows Americans to live according to their possibilities.

“I have two adult daughters. I have three small granddaughters. And see, keeping the dolls affordable, keeping our children’s toys accessible, this is really part of the American dream,” said Pence.

“I think the American people will see the consequences of this. I think they will require a different approach,” he said.

Pence also broke with Trump about the president’s frequent statements that Canada should become the 51st US state.

“I believe Canada has been a great ally of ours, whose soldiers fought and died alongside Americans in all wars since World War I,” he said.

“Putin doesn’t want peace, he wants Ukraine”

Pence also broke with Trump about Russian President Vladimir Putin after Trump said last week he believes Putin’s word of wanting peace with Ukraine. Russia has invaded the country for over three years.

“If the last three years teach us something, it is that Vladimir Putin does not want peace; he wants Ukraine. And the fact that we have been following a ceasefire agreement with which Ukraine agreed and Russia continues to postpone and excuses confirms that point,” said Pence.

The former vice president said Putin “only understands power.”

“This is why, at this moment, we need to make it clear that the United States will continue to lead the free world, to provide Ukraine the military support needed to repel the Russian invasion and achieve just and lasting peace,” he said. “The hesitant support shown by the government in recent months, I believe, only strengthened Russia.”

Pence’s comments were a broad argument in favor of the global order after the world war and the importance of the role of the United States on the world scenario. Trump has removed the United States from some international pacts and urged European countries to invest more in defense.

Pence quoted the North Atlantic Treaty organization, a military alliance of European and American countries, and said that if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he expects Russia to invade an NATO member.

“For me, it’s not just Ukraine. I really believe that if Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine, it’s just a matter of time until he crosses a border where our uniformed men and women will have to fight him,” Pence said.

“I keep Reagan’s old doctrine that if you are willing to fight our enemies in your territory, we will give you the means to fight them there, so we don’t have to fight them,” he said.

Pence said the meeting at the Oval Hall between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February was “unfortunate.”

“I thought President Zelensky was reckless in presenting his argument to the media in the Oval Hall, and found the way the president and the government responded at that time,” he said.

But Pence also highlighted the meeting of Trump and Zelensky at the Vatican, on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral, and said that “we seem to rebuild the dialogue.”

He said the deal that the two nations signed last week, which will give the United States access to Ukraine’s mineral resources in exchange for the establishment of an investment fund in Ukraine, “sends a deafening message to Moscow that the United States and Ukraine are here to stay.”

Concerns about the role of RFK Jr.

Pence criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s choice as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy is a former Democratic presidential candidate who became independent in 2024 and who abandoned the presidential dispute to support Trump.

The former vice president said his concerns with Kennedy initially arose from his support for abortion rights.

“The very idea of ​​a republican president to appoint an abortion rights advocate to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is simply unacceptable to me. Policies regarding the holiness of life, regarding the protection of consciousness, all go through HHS, and I had these concerns,” said Pence.

He also criticized Kennedy’s long history of launching questions about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines as a measles outbreak in several states continues to grow.

Last week, Kennedy requested US disease control and disease prevention centers for a “scientific process” throughout the agency to treat measles and other conditions with drugs, as well as alternative therapies such as vitamins, HHS said in a statement.

“I have concerns that we have a secretary at HHS who has a career of life undermining public trust in vaccines,” said Pence. “There should be the opposite. And I hope we will continue to hear voices throughout the country that manifest themselves for the good of our children and grandchildren.”

Pence praised some aspects of Trump’s current administration, including his efforts to repress illegal immigrants entering the country.

He said he had “great confidence” in Attorney General Pam Bondi and called Tom Homan, the Trump border tsar, a “great man of the law.”

Asked about Trump’s recent answer to a question about whether everyone on American soil deserves due process of law – “I don’t know, I’m not a lawyer,” Trump said – Pence said he has “all the confidence” that the government “will solve the issues of due process and with the support of our courts.”

“I think one of the genius aspects of our system and our Constitution is that the protections and freedoms consecrated there are offered to people in the United States, not just to US citizens. And I have full confidence that the government understands that,” Pence said.

This content was originally published in an interview CNN: former Vice of Trump Critica Tariffs, Russia and January 6 on CNN Brazil.

Source: CNN Brasil