WASHINGTON, District of Columbia — Former Vice President Mike Pence outlined his “freedom agenda” Tuesday morning, citing the late Andrew Breitbart in his vision to restore American culture.
“Politics is downstream of culture,” Pence said, quoting Breitbart. “The American people are proud of our culture.”
“American freedom is under attack,” he said, “big tech, big media, big government, even big business.”
The left is pushing a “pernicious woke agenda designed to … destroy the American dream,” he continued, saying that the “the ruling elite has never been more out of touch” but also “never more intent on imposing their agenda.”
Pence, who gave his address at the Young America’s Foundation’s 44th annual National Conservative Student Conference, said that the first step to restoring American culture is to “secure the sanctity of life at the center of American law once again.”
America “sent Roe v. Wade to the ash heap of history, where it belongs” with the landmark ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning the infamous pro-abortion ruling.
The former vice president called for “advancing pro-life protections in every state in the union,” and then emphasized “every single one.”
Americans and their elected representatives should be looking to “support the unborn and support the newborn” as well as be focused on passing legislation to make adoptions easier. “You can’t be pro-life if you’re not pro-adoption,” Pence said.
“We must not rest, we must not relent, we must not tire” until America restores the “unalienable right to life,” he continued. “We save the babies, we’ll save America.”
Pence also spoke of protecting religious freedom, the freedom of speech, and embracing law enforcement.
Turning to education, Pence said, “Critical race theory is nothing more than state-sanctioned racism and it should be rejected,” as he called to “purge our schools of critical race theory and restore patriotic education.”
He further called to “end the assault on women’s sports by the radical gender left.”
Pence’s “opportunity” pillar asserts that the “free market must be unleashed.” He said that the same policies that saw economic success in the Trump administration, such as tax cuts, must be re-established.
The former vice president’s plan would also “unleash American energy” and “roll back the regulatory state” as well as “expand health savings accounts” and “demand a balanced federal budget in the next five years.”
In the “leadership” section of the address, Pence said,”Restoring American strength by supporting a strong national defense.”
There is an “obligation in the Preamble of the Constitution,” to do so and, channeling John Quincy Adams, he said America must “promote freedom through the power of our example.”
“Only a strong America can lead,” he continued. “Weakness arouses evil.”
Closing out his address to college students from across the country, Pence asserted that “what’s at stake is the very survival of our way of life.”
We will be “forced to live in the economic, moral, and spiritual decline of socialism” if Americans do nothing, he said, as he called for a spiritual renewal.
Pence’s address comes as speculation abounds of a potential 2024 presidential bid.
Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.