This post has been updated since publication.
Former Vice President Mike Pence responded “not my concern” to a question about failing U.S. cities from Tucker Carlson during the Family Leadership Summit. The surprising reaction came when he was asked why he wants more aid to go to Ukraine while seemingly every major U.S. city is on the decline.
After publication of this article, the Pence campaign gave Breitbart News the following statement: “It’s pretty disingenuous to assert that the man who champions policies that have previously led to the most prosperous economy in American history, including record low minority unemployment rates, would ever say that the Radical Left’s destruction of our country is not a concern. It is, and that’s why Mike Pence is running for and will be president of the United States.”
Pence, as well as five other Republican presidential candidates, spoke to the former Fox News host in Iowa on Friday in front of a largely Christian conservative audience.
Pence and Tucker spoke about Ukraine’s conflict with Russia when the former Vice President said that he is confident that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin takes over Ukraine, Putin will advance toward the rest of Eastern Europe, which the United States will have to defend.
Pence said he wants to give the Ukrainian military what they need to repel Russia. He said that Ukraine’s potential membership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will have to be decided after the conflict is over.
“Peace comes through strength, and the United States needs to continue to project strength,” Pence remarked.
It was at this point that Carlson remarked, “I know you’re running for president. You are distressed the Ukrainians don’t have enough American tanks. Every city in the United States has become much worse over the past three years. Drive around. There is not one city that has gotten better in the United States. And it’s visible.”
He continued, “And yet you’re concern is that the Ukrainians, a country that most people can’t find on a map, who have received tens of billions of U.S. tax dollars, don’t have enough tanks, I think it’s fair to ask, where’s the concern for the United States in that?”
Pence responded, “Well, it’s not my concern. Tucker I’ve heard that routine from you before, but it’s not my concern. I’m running for President of the United States because I think this country is in a lot of trouble.”
Online conservatives immediately voiced shock and alarm at the answer. Pence claimed that they were pushing “FAKE NEWS.”
The vice president went on to say that he would hope to “restore law and order in our cities, secure our border,” and get the economy going again.
Carlson also asked Pence about reports about potential religious persecution in Ukraine, suggesting that the Ukrainian government may be attacking those of the Russian Orthodox faith.
Pence said he spoke with a pro-Ukrainian source, who said that Volodymyr Zelensky was not persecuting Russian churches.
“No, you spoke to one person who is clearly on one side of it, and there are many many news reports that are not disputed by anybody that many clergy have been arrested in Ukraine,” Carlson said. “And I’m merely saying, I may not agree with their views. I’m not Russian Orthodox, but you can’t arrest clergy for having different views, period. Because if you do, you violate the basic tenet of religious liberty.”
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.