Since my service as vice president concluded, I have taken the time to reflect on all that America achieved over the last four years, and I believe that posterity will recognize the Trump-Pence administration as one of the most transformative, and most consequential, in American history.
In four short years, our administration proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the American Experiment in self-governance still works — when elected leaders’ decisions are guided by putting the interests of the American people first.
Under our administration, we revived our economy, rebuilt our military, returned respect for the U.S. Constitution to our federal courts, and restored America’s standing on the world stage. We slashed unemployment to record lows, passed historic tax relief, raised working class wages, liberated millions of families from welfare, repealed a record number of job-killing regulations, and replaced colossal trade giveaways with fair and reciprocal trade deals that brought jobs and factories back home to America.
We defended free speech, religious liberty and the right to life of every precious unborn child. We secured our borders, shut down illegal immigration, established the Space Force, signed historic Middle East peace deals, and launched the largest national mobilization since World War II in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, more than 100 million Americans have been vaccinated, our nation is healing and as state after state returns to normal life after a year of hardship, our economy is roaring back.
In four years, the Trump-Pence administration laid a foundation of prosperity and innovation that is driving a great American comeback.
But from their first day in office, the Biden administration and congressional Democrats adopted a radically different approach — one that expands the power of the federal government and elevates left-wing ideology over common sense, and threatens America’s future like never before.
In just two-and-half months, President Biden has single-handedly created the worst border crisis in American history. Democrats are planning to decimate our economy with the largest tax increase in half a century, a mountain of new job-killing regulations and a massive expansion of the welfare state. Mr. Biden has bent the knee to international bureaucrats by rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, and bowed to environmental extremists by cancelling the Keystone Pipeline, all at the expense of the American worker.
And instead of working to unite all Americans as one national family, Democrats have embraced the divisive dogma of radical progressivism, which fractures our nation along the lines of race, ethnicity, sex, class and a never-ending list of grievances that grows longer by the day.
If unchallenged, the radical left will squander America’s future with more government, more regulation, more illegal immigration, more limits on individual freedom and a steady march toward socialism. For conservatives and reasonable people of all political persuasions, now is the time to stand up for freedom.
That is why I launched a new advocacy organization called Advancing American Freedom. The AAF exists to defend and build upon the successful policies of the Trump-Pence administration that yielded unprecedented prosperity at home and restored American strength abroad. By keeping Democrats and their allies in the media from erasing our historic record of achievement, and by developing bold new policies, strategies and coalitions, AAF will help defeat the radical left agenda and advance American freedom long into the future.
Advancing American Freedom is dedicated to the proposition that our nation must conserve that which matters most: the right of every American to live, to work and to worship in freedom — the very thing that has always made our country great.
To achieve this objective, the AAF will advocate for conservative, common sense policies that serve the needs of everyday Americans rather than special interests and outdated philosophies shaped for a world that has long since passed away. Great nations are built by the sweat, strength and values of a thriving middle class — not by the edicts of a self-proclaimed ruling class.
The policies of the Trump-Pence administration set our nation on the path of freedom. With the support of patriots across this country, and God’s grace, Advancing American Freedom will help ensure that we continue to boldly forge a future of freedom for all the American people.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is chairman of Advancing American Freedom, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Scholar at Young America’s Foundation.
Former Vice President Mike Pence will take a step back into public life and a possible 2024 run with the launch Wednesday of the Advancing American Freedom advocacy group, designed to merge traditional conservative thinking with Trumpism.
It will seek to defend the Trump-Pence administration’s record while building what aides said would be a “winning formula for a broader coalition.”
The makeup of its advisory board reflects that mission, including figures from the Trump White House, such as Kellyanne Conway and Larry Kudlow, alongside key players from the broader conservative movement such as David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth.
“Advancing American Freedom plans to build on the success of the last four years by promoting traditional conservative values and promoting the successful policies of the Trump administration,” Pence said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“Conservatives will not stand idly by as the radical left and the new administration attempt to threaten America’s standing as the greatest nation in the world with their destructive policies,” Pence said.
And it comes with the backing of former President Donald Trump himself.
“It was the most successful first term in American history,” he said in a statement sent to the Washington Examiner. “Nice to see Mike highlighting some of our many achievements!”
Pence has maintained a low profile since leaving office. He has spent time with his family while quietly developing a portfolio designed to maintain political influence.
He joined the conservative Young America’s Foundation and took on a role as distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation, triggering speculation he may be in line for its top job.
But aides now say, with a crisis at the border and an administration intent on raising taxes, the time is right to reemerge into the public eye.
His first public speech is due at the Palmetto Family Council’s annual fundraiser at the end of the month. The event is held in South Carolina — a key early primary state.
And his supporters say Pence is perfectly placed to synthesize a new platform incorporating traditional conservativism and the MAGA movement.
“There’s no doubt when the vice president joined the ticket in 2016, there was a whole new voter that Donald Trump brought in with his focus on China and trade, and he won over a lot of blue-collar votes in the Midwest,” said a Pence aide.
“This organization will focus on those winning policies that were at the center of that fusion between traditional conservativism and Trumpism,” the aide said.
The new group will be headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its programs will be developed around three pillars: American strength and security, covering immigration, Israel and Middle East peace, and “standing firm against adversaries”; American prosperity, including rebuilding the economy, energy independence, the administration’s tax cuts, and deregulation; and American liberty, including anti-abortion, school choice, and religious liberty issues.
Paul Teller, a long-standing member of Penceworld who was director of strategic initiatives for the vice president, will be its executive director.
Conway, senior counselor to the president in the Trump White House, said Pence was the ideal person for the job.
“I’ve worked alongside Mike Pence for 12 years in an official capacity but have known him for decades,” she said. “He has the heart of a servant and the mind of a policy wonk and through this issue advocacy group wants to ensure that the promise of America belongs to each and every one of us.”
Other members of the advisory board include Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought, former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and former Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. Chip Saltsman, Marc Short, and Marty Obst will be co-chairs.
Trump has not yet said whether he will run in 2024, but other potential candidates such as Mike Pompeo have begun visiting other early states.
Pence left office under a Trump-shaped shadow, publicly chastised for resisting the president’s demands to reverse the 2020 election result unilaterally.
But Trump’s endorsement of his new 501(c)(4) advocacy organization suggests a warmer relationship than is sometimes reported. And the former president telephoned to offer his congratulations when Pence’s first grandchild was born earlier this month, according to a source familiar with the conversation.
Aides shrug off speculation that the advocacy organization is a vehicle for Pence’s presidential ambitions, saying next year’s midterm election and developing a policy agenda are the priorities.
“Now, we are in a period where the Biden administration in two and half months have really just abandoned the policies that led to so much prosperity in the past four years, and it’s time for him to reemerge and be the voice to take on those policies,” said one.
Former Vice President Mike Pence today launched Advancing American Freedom, a policy and advocacy organization established to promote the pro-freedom policies of the last four years that created unprecedented prosperity at home and restored respect for America abroad, to defend those policies from liberal attacks and media distortions, and to prevent the radical Left from enacting its policy agenda that would threaten America’s freedoms.
“Advancing American Freedom plans to build on the success of the last four years by promoting traditional Conservative values and promoting the successful policies of the Trump Administration,” said former Vice President Mike Pence. “Conservatives will not stand idly by as the radical Left and the new administration attempt to threaten America’s standing as the greatest Nation in the world with their destructive policies.”
“Under the leadership of President Trump and Vice President Pence, Americans experienced unprecedented prosperity. The policies that led to those accomplishments are now under attack by the radical Left and the Biden Administration, and the foundation of our Nation is under siege,” said Advancing American Freedom Executive Director Paul Teller. “Advancing American Freedom will push back against the Left’s agenda and champion policies across the country that advance American liberties, American strength and security, and American prosperity.”
Advancing American Freedom will be advised by political and policy leaders from the Trump Administration and the Conservative movement.
Members of the Advancing American Freedom Advisory Board include:
Vice President Mike Pence and Advancing American Freedom’s Advisory Board place the organization in a unique position to merge traditional Conservative values with the Make America Great Again policy agenda that propelled the Nation to new economic heights, and unprecedented strength and prosperity.
Advancing American Freedom will engage in policy discussions and issue advocacy at both the State and Federal level by proposing conservative policy solutions to the economic (American Prosperity), foreign policy (American Strength & Security), and Constitutional issues that confront Americans today (American Liberties).
In addition to articulating and advancing a policy agenda, Advancing American Freedom will oppose the expansion of government under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ radical Left policy agenda from Washington, D.C., into communities across the country.
Contact: devin@advancingamericanfreedom.com
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