Mike Pence emerges as one of the few Republicans willing to challenge Trump 2.0

The Associated Press ^ | February 17, 2025 | BY JILL COLVIN (D-AP)

[Oldeconomybuyer]

WASHINGTON (AP) — His group spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s health agencies. He’s delivering speeches urging the president to stand with longstanding foreign allies and lobbying members of Congress while aides write letters and opinion columns.

This weekend, he posted an article he penned more than a decade ago on the limits of presidential power after Trump claimed that, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”

Mike Pence is emerging as one of the last Republicans in Washington willing to publicly criticize the new administration.

It’s an especially jarring role for the former vice president, whose refusal to break with Trump defined their time together in office until the two had a falling out over Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his efforts to remain in power.

Pence and those who work with him at Advancing American Freedom, his political advocacy group, stress they are not looking to take on the “Never Trump” mantle. They intend to praise the administration when they agree with it, while raising concerns when they don’t, advocating for longtime conservative principles that have fallen out of favor as Trump’s “Make America Great Again” brand of populism has taken hold.

[blitz128]

Yah, and how is that working out for him. 1 million spent, good return on someone else’s money, or maybe it was ours to begin with

[stars & stripes forever]

PENCE is laying the groundwork for a 2028 PENCE/KINZINGER Presidential ticket.

[armydoc]

Temu Race Bannon. Superficial resemblance, none of the integrity or courage

[dforest]

Hah hah, To most people he smells like rotting fish.

[Ken H]

“Mike Pence is just a useful idiot to the left.”

---

He is nothing of the kind. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

[Ann Archy]

Hes a Rino to the MAX !

[dfwgator]

Pence is a POS.....

Explains this...

[Ann Archy]

He’ll get the LINCOLN PROJECT votes...ugh.

[dfwgator]

I had that O’Jays album.

[pepsi_junkie]

It’s an especially jarring role for the former vice president, whose refusal to break with Trump defined their time together in office until he thought it was safe to drop the mask and reveal he was part the cabal undermining Trump and leaking about him because Trump was never coming back and he thought he could ride 'I was NEVER for him' to victory'.

Had to fix that for them.

[grumpygresh]

He’s giving Aaron Burr a run for his money as worst VP.

[SecondAmendment]

Methinks Pence is MSNBC’s token “Conservative Republican” warming up in the bullpen, and will take over for Michael Steel immediately after his head explodes on air.

[Savage Beast]

So now they’re hoping that Pence will save them???

[CIB-173RDABN]

How do you know a Republican is a RINO? When the media praises them.

[AndyJackson]

Yeah! As in:

[FLT-bird]

Mike Pence is completely irrelevant. Nobody listens to him.

[Harpotoo]

Pence’s message is really resonating;-)

[EinNYC]

I bet if my giant Maine Coon meowed, he’d cower. Wuss.

[Verginius Rufus]

McCain wanted to pick Joe Lieberman as his running mate in 2008.

Maybe Buttigieg can pick Pence as his running mate in 2028.

[MayflowerMadam]

Remember how tight he and Fauci were when Thirty was Governor. Had to do with AIDS, I think, among other things. Expect there still is a relationship.