Former Vice President Mike Pence dodged calling himself a “MAGA Republican” in a new interview, appearing to avoid former President Donald Trump’s longtime Make America Great Again slogan.
Asked whether he considers himself a “MAGA Republican” on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Pence said he’s “incredibly proud of what we did in the Trump-Pence administration for four years.” He said the duo, “with the support of MAGA Americans,” did “make America great again,” while criticizing former President Barack Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden for their eight years in office.
“Look, I’m a Christian, a conservative and a Republican in that order,” Pence added.
Pence has ramped up criticism of his former running mate in recent weeks, including after Trump was indicted over his alleged efforts to steal the 2020 election.
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The former vice president earlier this month, following the news of Trump’s election indictment, said he did not have any right to overturn the 2020 presidential election, despite Trump’s arguments that he could accept or reject results as part of the election certification process.
“What the president maintained that day, and frankly, has said over and over again over the last two and a half years, is completely false,” Pence said. “And it’s contrary to what our Constitution and the laws of this country provide.”
Pence also took aim at Trump’s legal team.
“Sadly, the president was surrounded by a group of crackpot lawyers who kept telling him what his itching ears wanted to hear,” he said.
The former vice president last week didn’t rule out testifying against Trump in the criminal case. He told CBS’ Face the Nation that, while he doesn’t currently have plans to testify, “we’ll respond to the call of the law.”
Pence has qualified for the first Republican primary debate next week, though it’s not clear he’ll be able to confront Trump at the event. The former president has long denied confirming whether he’ll attend – or comply with the RNC’s mandates to participate in the debate.
Contributing: Savannah Kuchar and Ken Tran, USA TODAY
