WASHINGTON, DC – Vice President Mike Pence joined the Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel All Things podcast yesterday to discuss how the second Trump Administration compares to the first as it nears the end of its first hundred days. In a wide-ranging conversation with Kim Strassel, Vice President Pence speaks about what the Trump team is getting right, what it’s getting wrong, and more about his work as the founder of Advancing American Freedom.
LISTEN: Former Vice President Mike Pence Grades Trump 2.0
Vice President Pence warned Republicans about the bad politics of raising taxes, speaking to the pro-growth policies that were so effective in the Trump-Pence Administration and the risks of stepping away from those policies today:
“Republicans don’t raise taxes, Republicans cut taxes. There should be no higher priority for the Congress and this administration than to make the Trump tax cuts permanent.”
“What they will call a millionaire tax would be an enormous tax increase on small businesses in this country.”
“To talk about raising marginal rates, even at the top level, is bad policy and bad politics.”
Pence urged Republicans to say no to broad-based tariffs:
“I think what will remain is a 10 percent across-the-board tariff on all goods, not for negotiations, but as industrial policy. I believe that will be inflationary, harmful to American consumers, and harmful to American growth.”
“I said a month ago [broad-based tariffs] would amount to the largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history.”
Pence also explained the mistake of not enforcing the TikTok ban:
“TikTok is digital fentanyl. …This administration is working to try and find a way to leave what is essentially a Chinese spyware active in the country.”
“You would never, at the height of the Soviet Union, have allowed the Soviet Union to run the Wall Street Journal. It’s inconceivable. But that’s what TikTok is.”
“The TikTok legislation forcing the sale or banning TikTok is the law of the land. And for the sake of the American people, it needs to be enforced.”
Advancing American Freedom has launched a $10 million nationwide grassroots education campaign calling for Congress to swiftly renew the historic Trump-Pence tax cuts and deliver on the promise of pro-growth tax reform that lowers taxes for everyone. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was a roaring success for the American people that led to lower taxes, more jobs, and a booming economy. AAF will continue to urge Congress to resist any attempts to raise taxes on Americans.
AAF has repeatedly urged an end to tariffs and last week launched a six-figure ad campaign urging Washington to say no to tariffs. AAF will continue to advocate against leaving broad-based tariffs in place that could counteract the pro-growth agenda that worked so well in President Trump’s first term.
Advancing American Freedom is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and advancing conservative policy solutions and principles that improve the lives of all Americans. For media requests, please reach out to press@advancingamericanfreedom.com.
