Mike Pence Lays Out Path for Republican Victory with No Mention of Trump, But Several Digs at Him

Former Vice President Mike Pence laid out how he thinks Republicans can win this November in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal that didn’t use Donald Trump’s name, but did include several digs at him.

Pence, who has said he would not endorse Trump’s bid to reclaim the White House began by reaffirming his commitment to “stay out of the presidential campaign,” and submitting “that the path to victory for Republicans down ballot” will depend on whether they successfully expose “the undeniable failures of Kamala Harris and the Democrats,” and promote “the conservative policies that made the prior administration the most successful in generations.”

While Pence repeatedly touted the efforts of the Trump-Pence administration, he never called it as much and implicitly rebuked the platform Trump is running on now.

“As down-ballot Republicans approach the homestretch of this election, they should promise to deliver peace through strength, not isolationism and the abandonment of American leadership. Republicans should pledge to deliver better trade deals that increase prosperity, not protectionist tariffs that make products more expensive,” argued Pence. “Republicans should commit to tackling the growing debt that threatens to bankrupt the nation, pledging to adopt responsible budgets that fix America’s broken entitlement programs before they collapse. Republicans should unashamedly recommit to the pro-life cause, which remains the great moral calling of our era and the issue that has animated the party for over half a century.”

“Finally, at a time when the leaders in the Democratic Party routinely seek to rewrite our Constitution, redefining the liberties enshrined in the Bill of Rights, some leading Republicans are increasingly willing to put short-term political gain over a commitment to the nation’s founding principles,” he concluded. “The party’s candidates should make clear that they will faithfully preserve and protect the Constitution. If they don’t, no one else will. America needs the Republican Party to be the party of the Constitution.”

On the campaign trail, Trump has championed tariffs and a more friendly attitude toward Russia while backing away from the pro-life movement, mostly ignoring the debt, and calling for the termination of the Constitution.

In March, Pence told Fox News that “it should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year.”

“During my presidential campaign, I made it clear there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues. And not just our difference on my constitutional duties that I exercised on January 6th,” he said at the time. I mean, as I have watched his candidacy unfold, I’ve seen him walking away from our commitment to confronting the national debt. I’ve seen him starting to shy away from a commitment to the sanctity of human life.”

Have a tip for us? tips@mediaite.com