In Lakewood speech, Pence warns of “populists,” says he congratulated Trump

Former Vice President Mike Pence warned against “populists” seeking sway over conservative politics during a Friday speech at Colorado Christian University, and he called for a defense of “traditional” conservative values on foreign policy, abortion and marriage.

Pence’s speech at CCU, a small conservative school in Lakewood, came 10 days after his former running mate, Republican Donald Trump, was reelected to the White House. Pence, who said last year that Trump should “never be president of the United States” because of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, said Friday he congratulated his “old friend” last week on the win. He called Trump’s win — coupled with Republican victories in the U.S. House and Senate — a “time of great opportunity.”

“But I must tell you, it’s also a time of concern for those of us that believe in that traditional conservative agenda,” he said, and he argued that the “new majorities and new leadership” must “hew to our roots” of those values. That includes, he said, a commitment that marriage is between one man and one woman, as well as opposition to abortion and a commitment to limited government, free-market economics and an outward-facing approach to foreign policy.

Those beliefs should be defended, he said, against a “rising populist center” that threatens to undermine “traditional conservatism with an agenda fueled in many ways by personal grievance.”  He did not name any person or policy.

Pence drew applause when he said the United States should continue supporting its “most cherished ally, Israel,” while also continuing to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. He said Israel must “hunt down and destroy Hamas” in the wake of the terror group’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Then, he said, the West can demonstrate its “compassion and generosity” by helping to rebuild the Gaza Strip, which has been decimated by the Israeli military amid a campaign that a United Nations special committee recently said was consistent with genocide.

Pence, a former Republican congressman and governor of Indiana, served as Trump’s vice president during the president-elect’s first stint in the White House. The two men’s relationship collapsed amid Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent and that Pence had the authority to throw the election to Trump — a fringe theory that Pence denied.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Pence came “dangerously close” to rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol, shortly after Trump told a crowd that he hoped Pence would support his illegitimate attempts to remain in the White House. Pence said Friday that he wasn’t afraid during the riot.

“I was angry,” he said. “I found myself thinking, ‘Not this, not here, not in America.’ ”

Pence said he’d brought his wife and daughter with him Jan. 6 to the Capitol, where he was to preside over the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory, and that his wife stayed with him into the early morning of Jan. 7.

“When the day developed, I must tell you, it became more animated between us,” Pence said of his relationship with Trump. “But I did my duty.”

Last year Pence unsuccessfully ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. After he dropped out, Pence did not endorse Trump or his opponent, Democrat Kamala Harris, who had succeeded Pence as vice president.

Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.