Mike Pence said Trump’s second administration has strayed from core Republican principles, arguing it no longer consistently reflects limited government, free markets and anti-abortion commitments.
On abortion, Pence said the administration has treated the issue as state-only and let a “pro-abortion” HHS secretary leave abortion-pill access largely untouched.
He also urged Trump to scrap the Justice Department’s nearly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, calling any payouts to Jan. 6 defendants “deeply offensive.”
A federal judge temporarily blocked that fund last week; Trump had already pardoned about 1,500 people charged over the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
Pence said Trump still dominates Republican voters, but warned the administration’s direction could hurt the party in this fall’s midterms even as Democrats’ positions may help Republicans hold Congress.
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