This was unexpected.
Karen Pence, the former Second Lady, has voiced her observation that former President Trump has shifted away from the conservative principles that underpinned his 2016 campaign and his presidential term. In an interview on “CBS Mornings,” she highlighted that during the tenure of Trump and her husband, former Vice President Mike Pence, conservative governance was upheld. However, she noted that the former president has since deviated from these principles.
According to The Hill, Pence stated, “I think the president has stepped away from those conservative foundations, and you see it in a lot of the things that he’s been saying recently.” She added that this shift served as the inspiration for her husband to run as a “true conservative.” However, she did not specify which of Trump’s recent statements she was referring to.
During the interview, co-host Tony Dokoupil referenced recent CBS polling data, revealing that likely Republican primary voters in Iowa and New Hampshire overwhelmingly support Trump but do not view him as a true conservative. In response, Pence suggested that close attention to Trump’s recent statements would prompt questions about the disparity between his current positions and those from five years ago. She emphasized the importance of her and her husband’s role in encouraging people to listen carefully to Trump’s recent statements and recognize this shift.
Regarding her husband’s participation in the second GOP presidential debate in Simi Valley, Calif., Pence stated that their goal was to convey Mike Pence’s message effectively. She also noted that former President Trump, who was leading the race, would not be attending the debate for the second time, opting instead to address autoworkers in Michigan. Polling consistently placed the former vice president in the mid-single digits, typically in fourth or fifth place among the candidates.
In the interview, Karen Pence appeared to suggest that she does not believe Trump should return to the presidency if her husband does not secure the nomination. She asserted, “I don’t think anybody who puts themself above the Constitution should ever be president of the United States.”
It’s worth noting that despite their close alliance during most of the Trump administration, Mike Pence criticized his former boss over his actions on January 6, 2021, and his attempts to pressure Pence to refuse certification of the 2020 election results. Pence firmly stated that such actions would have violated his oath to uphold the Constitution. Consequently, she maintained that Trump was wrong to prioritize his interests above the Constitution.