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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected May 31, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome backmost to Face the Nation. We are joined present by erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence, who has a caller book, What Conservatives Believe: Rediscovering the Conservative Conscience. Good greeting to you, Mr. Vice President.
MIKE PENCE: Good morning, Margaret. Good to spot you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You intelligibly deliberation your enactment needs immoderate reminders here, and you constitute that Americans are confused astir what it means to beryllium a conservative. You accidental for galore right-wing populists, grievance dictates policy. Who oregon what are you reasoning astir there?
MIKE PENCE: Well, I think, look, from each of my big life, the Republican Party has been defined by a committedness to a blimpish docket to America arsenic person of the escaped world, to constricted government, escaped market, economics, and accepted motivation values, particularly the close to life. And I'm arrogant to accidental that from the Reagan medication to the archetypal Trump administration, we governed connected that agenda, but I wrote "What Conservatives Believe," due to the fact that conscionable successful the past 4 oregon 5 years, there's been a emergence of what I telephone the populist close that focuses much connected what we're against than what we're for, focuses much connected grievance than a affirmative blimpish agenda. I mean the blimpish question has ever been battling politically with the progressive left, but present there's a caller menace from the populist close that would clasp policies of isolationism abroad, that would clasp large authorities and protectionism astatine home, marginalize the close to life, and arsenic we spell into this fall's elections and spell into 2028 I thought it was important that we instrumentality a infinitesimal arsenic a enactment and arsenic a question to punctual ourselves what we believe.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But immoderate of what you are describing isn't conscionable connected the fringes oregon wrong the party, it's the President of the United States who's person of that party, and you constitute helium has not ever governed arsenic a conservative, I recognize that the president's wide support standing is low. It is. But helium inactive seems to person this vice grip connected the cervix of the Republican enactment close now. So, however tin you revive a information of it that helium is successful absorption to? I mean, close to beingness was 1 of them, arsenic you conscionable detailed. You divided with him precise publically connected that. You deliberation helium betrayed it. You deliberation helium betrayed on, for example, spending and the mode he's dealing with immoderate of the escaped marketplace issues.
MIKE PENCE: Well, look, I deliberation the 2nd Trump medication has got a batch right. They got the borderline secured aft the worst borderline situation successful American history. They extended those Trump-Pence taxation cuts that we passed successful their entirety. They've stood without apology for our cherished ally, Israel, and took the combat straight to Iran. But connected different instances, you've seen the interaction and the clasp by the President and radical astir him of the authorities of the populist right, the terms controls connected recognition cards and pharmaceuticals, nationalization of American businesses, of course, broad-based tariffs connected person and foe alike, adhd to that marginalizing the close to life, doing thing astir the wide organisation of the termination pill by message that Joe Biden's medication made possible, and past the stops and starts connected Ukraine, portion they've been beardown connected Israel, beardown with Iran. The stops and starts bespeak much the authorities of the progressive near and appeasement than that time-honored blimpish docket that's defined our enactment astatine location and abroad.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Why isn't the enactment lasting up to him then?
MIKE PENCE: Well, look, I springiness the president each kinds of recognition (CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: You've got majorities successful the location and the Senate. They're been beauteous silent.
MIKE PENCE: He has earned large loyalty among Republican superior voters.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Primary voters.
MIKE PENCE: We saw that successful Texas, we saw that successful Louisiana, we saw that successful Indiana successful our caller authorities legislature primaries, and I deliberation it's due to the fact that look, the progressive near has been fundamentally successful the saddle for astir 100 years successful this country. Ronald Reagan began the conflict back. I deliberation Republican voters genuinely admit the mode that President Trump has fought backmost against the extremist near and continues to, but I privation our voters to cognize that there's, determination is this caller propulsion from the populist right, and arsenic we look astatine the midterm elections, arsenic we look astatine 2028 I deliberation it's important that we absorption connected on what we're for, due to the fact that not lone is it a winning docket for Republicans, Margaret, I, I judge it's delivered state and prosperity for the American people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, erstwhile you accidental superior voters, you cognize that that is not needfully each Republican voters. Certainly, you conscionable look astatine the turnouts successful that Texas contention to talk to that, but isn't your party, from the president connected down, with this gerrymandering propulsion locking successful the changes that volition only. Feed into that much utmost portion of the party. The populist—
MIKE PENCE: Well you know, it's awfully hard for Democrats to propulsion stones erstwhile they unrecorded successful solid houses connected gerrymandering. There are states astir the state that—
MARGARET BRENNAN: Sure but doesn't gerrymandering disincentivize bipartisan.
MIKE PENCE: There are states astir the country, though, wherever 40% of voters are Republicans, and determination are nary enactment representatives from those states successful the Congress.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you enactment the gerrymandering? (CROSSTALK)
MIKE PENCE: I've ne'er been a instrumentality of partisan gerrymandering, but look, I person large assurance successful the American radical and successful Republican voters. I deliberation if we clasp the banner of American enactment connected the satellite signifier of constricted authorities escaped marketplace economics of accepted values successful the close to beingness high. I deliberation voters volition rally to our origin successful these midterms and successful 2028 erstwhile we're going to determine whether the progressive near with its clasp of socialism is successful the pb connected the nationalist signifier oregon whether a populist close that, that is simply a signifier of progressive politics. I mean, this is erstwhile you look astatine the clasp of isolationism, protectionism, nationalization of companies, and marginalizing values. It's, it is, it's much and much an echo of what the near has provided. I think, arsenic President Reagan said years ago, the Republican Party ought to connection a choice, not an echo.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But isn't the Vice President, JD Vance, an echo of each of those things? If President Trump's not a conservative, is JD Vance one?
MIKE PENCE: Well, look, fto maine say, I mislaid number of the fig of times President Trump corrected maine erstwhile I said that a peculiar presumption was conservative. In fact, helium said himself he's not a conservative, he's ne'er truly claimed to be. I'm little wide astir the vice president's views and his doctrine of government, but I'm precise clear, arsenic I wrote successful my book, that determination is this caller hostility wrong the Republican enactment that volition instrumentality those pieces of the agenda, the populist close docket that President Trump has embraced, and effort and marque that the caller absorption of the Republican party. I deliberation that'd beryllium atrocious for the Republican party. I deliberation it'd beryllium worse for the state that needs a vigorous, beardown blimpish enactment committed to freedom, committed to escaped markets, committed to accepted values.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Talking astir the midterms, you besides spent a batch of clip penning astir character, and you accidental it matters. Last week, Texas Republicans voted to marque you cognize this is coming, Ken Paxton, their nominee. He's the existent AG, helium was impeached by the Republican-controlled House, aggregate charges of maltreatment there, including bribery. His wife, a sitting legislator successful that state, accused him of committing adultery and is divorcing him connected punctuation "biblical grounds." He was indicted successful 2015 connected securities fraud charges, though those charges were dropped, and the president chose him implicit a overmuch much blimpish successful your description, John Cornyn. Does quality represent—does the quality of Ken Paxton correspond your party?
MIKE PENCE: Well I think, arsenic I constitute successful my book, I deliberation character, integrity to principle, are enormously important successful the beingness of our movement, successful the beingness of our nation. But erstwhile I look astatine the Texas primary, erstwhile I look astatine Louisiana, Kentucky, Indiana's galore authorities legislature races, I spot it much arsenic a reflection of the grip that President Trump has connected Republican superior voters who are grateful for the mode that helium has stood up and fought against the extremist left. You look astatine wherever the Democratic Party is today. I mean, it's astonishing to spot if Republicans, successful part, person mislaid our mode with the clasp of the populist right. Democrats person gone implicit the beam with embracing socialist candidates, socialist policies. I deliberation Republican voters—
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you would abstracted yourself from Ken Paxton. He does not correspond blimpish values—
MIKE PENCE: Republican voters privation to propulsion backmost connected that. They respect the president's views. I conscionable privation to marque definite radical recognize that arsenic we benignant done each these elections this year, that there's a caller unit afoot successful the Republican party, and I deliberation we've got to get backmost to those halfway values and principles that person ever made our state and our enactment beardown and prosperous.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, his discourtesy to President Trump seemed to beryllium that ballot to convict him successful the 2nd impeachment proceedings pursuing the onslaught connected the Capitol connected January 6. Does it occupation you that the president is adjacent making superior choices based connected grievances having to bash from January 6?
MIKE PENCE: Well, I don't cognize precisely what the president's reasons were for weighing in
MARGARET BRENNAN: He tweeted beauteous explicitly.
MIKE PENCE: The mode that helium did. So you cognize we have, we haven't chatted successful a while, but yeah, I, you know, I'll beryllium honorable with you, that I'll ne'er minimize what happened connected January 6, and I'll ever believe, by God's grace, we did our work that time to the spot of the peaceful transportation of powerfulness nether the Constitution. It's 1 of the reasons wherefore this speech of a weaponization fund, Margaret, the thought of creating a money that could compensate radical who assaulted constabulary officers and vandalized the Capitol that time is wholly unacceptable. My anticipation is the medication volition driblet it, driblet the thought entirely.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You deliberation Senate Republicans volition marque them driblet it, due to the fact that it's hard to basal up to the President. Many Republicans find, due to the fact that of what you conscionable said. Those primaries and those midterms.
MIKE PENCE: It is, but I've been heartened by the fig of Republicans successful the Senate who person spoken retired against it, look, that radical that assaulted constabulary officers connected January 6 and vandalized our superior should not get 1 dime of payer wealth from that money oregon anyplace else.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But I mean, adjacent conscionable the precedent of mounting it up, should they exclude January 6 attackers? That the thought of a weaponization money is its ain happening that it bears examining, but I privation to explicitly inquire you astir thing besides that happened.
MIKE PENCE: In Washington, we don't request slush funds to settee cases.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You presumption it arsenic a slush fund.
MIKE PENCE: There was a pro-life household that was virtually tally implicit by the Biden Department of Justice, that it was conscionable a 7 fig colony for them. The DOJ tin settee these issues wherever radical person had their rights trampled connected and ought to bash that. I invited that colony greatly.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Last week, astatine the petition of the Department of Justice, a national appeals tribunal threw retired the convictions of 4 members of far-right extremist radical the Oath Keepers, that was a militia progressive successful January 6. Do you deliberation that the Trump medication is deliberately whitewashing that day?
MIKE PENCE: Well, I've surely seen grounds of that, peculiarly I was offended connected the day of January 6 erstwhile the White House enactment retired a timeline that virtually blamed Capitol Hill constabulary for the riot that took spot that day. Look, I'm precise assured that of the judgement of past successful the years up astir our role, astir each the Republicans and Democrats who returned that time aft Capitol Police secured the Capitol, and we each did our work nether the Constitution, but, but there's intelligibly been an effort by immoderate to rewrite that history, but I don't expect it'll work.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. Vice President. Thank you precise overmuch for sharing your reflections. It's bully to person you present successful idiosyncratic too.
MIKE PENCE: Thank you, Margaret. Appreciate it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll beryllium close back.
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