Former Vice President Mike Pence is quietly at work behind the scenes, laying the groundwork to build a Republican Party that moves on from his onetime boss and running mate, Donald Trump.
Semafor reports that “Pence stuck his head up this week to take a whack at Trumpism, urging Republicans to reject ‘protectionist tariffs’ and ‘isolationism’ while ‘unashamedly’ recommitting to anti-abortion positions.”
The former vice president is preparing for a party that can transition away from Donald Trump’s populism and protectionism after the election. This involves occasionally being a rare voice of public dissent while also working behind the scenes to recruit allies who may be more receptive to joining him on particular policy or political battles, Semafor noted, citing a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
“We’re trying to plant a flag for conservatism and believe that many of our traditional conservative groups have become far more enamored with populism these days and walked away from those principles,” Marc Short, Pence’s longtime advisor, told Semafor.
The former vice president’s Wall Street Journal op-ed, which subtly critiques Trump’s policy priorities, offers just a glimpse into Pence’s broader vision as he awaits the outcome of the 2024 election. However, Semafor posed, the looming question for Pence remains: Does he still have a place in today’s GOP?
Even his supporters are not sure. Pence doesn’t fit into “the Republican party of today,” said retiring Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who also has no place in the party under Trump. “The Republican Party of tomorrow may be a different matter.”
Semafor added:
After incurring Donald Trump’s wrath for certifying the 2020 election, Pence’s platform of traditional conservatism failed to move GOP voters in his presidential campaign. Yet the former vice president, governor, and member of House leadership — who was key to helping expand Trump’s coalition in 2016 — remains concerned about the direction of the party, and he’s been making moves to cultivate like-minded supporters.
