Overview

• In a National Affairs essay co-authored with a Heritage Foundation founder, Pence warns that populist fervor and the rise of the anti-woke movement have created an existential identity crisis on the American right.
• He criticizes universal baseline tariffs, reduced support for Ukraine, and regulatory overreach targeting corporate diversity initiatives as departures from measured conservatism.
• Pence argues that defining conservatism solely by opposition to progressive causes lacks the moral foundation needed to sustain the movement.
• White House spokesman Kush Desai rejects Pence’s claims, saying Trump’s America First policies reflect voter priorities and have driven his dominance in the GOP.
• Pence, whose relationship with President Trump collapsed after Jan. 6, 2021, says he will remain a champion of limited government and constitutional liberties amid ongoing intra-party debates.