(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Standards of living are plummeting and violent crime is skyrocketing in America’s major cities—with murder rates spiking from 2019 to last year by 44% in Philadelphia, 33% in Chicago, 11% in Seattle and 9% in New York, just to name a few.
Don’t tell that to GOP presidential hopeful Mike Pence.
“That’s not my concern,” Pence told broadcaster Tucker Carlson on Friday during the 2023 FAMiLY Leader Summit in Des Moines, Iowa.
Pence’s comments came while he was participating in a Carlson-hosted presidential forum, along with other candidates, including U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Pence was responding to a round of questions from Carlson about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Pence lamented that the Biden administration hasn’t provided enough military aid to counter Russia—a notion that prompted probing questions from Carlson.
“Every city in the United States has become much worse over the past three years … And yet, your concern is that the Ukrainians—a country that most people can’t find on a map, which has received tens of billions of U.S. tax dollars—don’t have enough tanks. Where’s the concern for the United States in that?” Carlson asked.
“Well that’s not my concern. Tucker, I’ve heard that routine from you before, but that’s not my concern,” Pence responded, before insisting that U.S. can both fight a proxy war with Russia while addressing the needs of Americans.
“Anyone who says we can’t be the leader of the free world and solve our problems at home has a pretty small view of the greatest nation on earth. We can do both.”
Pence’s answers received a tepid reaction from the audience, and strong criticism online.
"I want a president who loves me like Mike Pence loves a random Ukrainian." – @AuronMacintyre pic.twitter.com/OsWFtGsM0k
— The Prudentialist (@MrPrudentialist) July 14, 2023
If there was any saving grace for Pence, it was the fact that other candidates were also lambasted for their “America Last”-type answers.
For instance, Sen. Scott appeared to be ignorant that the U.S. president would have the power to end the war in Ukraine immediately if he so chooses. Carlson had to explain that Ukraine is a U.S. client state and that if the U.S. were to cut off funding, its war with Russia would be over.
TUCKER: "Why not force a peace?"
TIM SCOTT (confused): "How?"
TUCKER: *Lays out how the US is funding the entire Ukrainian govt* pic.twitter.com/SyahJKX1wO
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 14, 2023
Hutchinson performed even worse. After dodging questions about vaccine mandates and supporting sex changes for kids, Blaze media founder Glenn Beck compared his interview to the Hindenberg disaster.
REKT: Tucker leaves Asa Hutchinson absolutely speechless, these hacks have never been challenged like this publicly and it’s a joy to watch pic.twitter.com/UfFEzMmmsr
— Drew Hernandez (@DrewHLive) July 14, 2023
“I don’t think I have seen anything burst into flames and die that fast,” Beck said.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
