Former Vice President Mike Pence calls Trump's Jan. 6 hostage rhetoric "unacceptable"

former vice president Mike Pence joins

us in person in studio good morning to

you and happy St Patrick's Day good

morning margar good to be with you

there's a lot to get to with you today

but I want to begin um with some remarks

Mr Trump made yesterday at a rally in

Ohio he walked onto the stage to a song

recorded by a choir of prisoners facing

charges for their role in the violence

of January the 6th take a

listen you see the spirit from the

hostages and that's what they are as

hostage es they've been treated terribly

and very unfairly and you know that and

everybody knows that and we're going to

be working on that soon the first day we

get into office we're going to save our

country and we're going to work with the

people to treat those unbelievable

Patriots and they were unbelievable

Patriots and

are I know in the past you've said Mr

Trump's Reckless words endangered you

and your family on that day what do you

think when you hear him refer to those

people facing charges as hostages and

Patriots well I think it's very

unfortunate at a time that there are

American

hostages being held in

Gaza that the president or any other

leaders would refer to people that are

moving through our our justice system as

hostages and it's just it's just

unacceptable I I was there on January 6

I I have no doubt in my mind Margaret

that that some people were caught up in

the moment and that and enter the

capital and um uh and they're certainly

entitled to due process of law for um

any nonviolent activities that day but

uh the assaults on police officers

ultimately an environment that that

claimed lives uh is something that U I

think was tragic that day and I I'll

never diminish it and the legal system

is processing these individuals through

and and giving them trials um I I wonder

what you think though about Miss Trump

and whether the public needs to hear and

see some of the evidence in regard to

the federal charges related to his

alleged role in January 6 do you think

that needs to happen before election day

well I look I I think the American

people live through that moment u i and

U my family and my team live through it

at the capital that day I think most

Americans know what happened I uh you as

I've said before um you know I I truly

do believe that

um that the judgment about the

president's conduct that day should have

been left to the American people I know

it's been brought into a criminal trial

now uh and uh and we have cases around

the country that have been brought

related to that notably in Georgia but

uh at the end of the day I think the

American people know what happened in

that day and I I said the people that

the people that ransacked the capital

need to be held to the fullest account

of the law and U I believe that they are

but uh the judgment about the

president's efforts that day I think can

be left to the American people but but

look I you know I said last week that um

you know after a lot of prayer and

reflection I've come to the conclusion

that I'm uh I I won't be endorsing

Donald Trump this year um I mean look

I'm very proud of the record of our

Administration Margaret it was a record

that left America more prosperous and

and U more secure and uh and our

liberties and the sanctity of life

stronger than ever before in my lifetime

but you've said Mr Trump's walked away

from conservative principles well I do I

said it during my presidential campaign

the president and I have profound

differences and many people think it's

just over January 6th um and and frankly

the fact that the president continues to

insist that that I had the right to

overturn the election that day is a

fundamental difference but I want to be

clear that you know I I've forgiven the

president in my heart for what happened

that day I as a Christian I'm required

to do that I I've prayed for him in that

regard but the the issue of falty to the

Constitution is not a small matter but

it's not just that I mean the reason

that I I cannot in good conscience

endorse Donald Trump this year also has

to do with the fact that he is walking

away not just from keeping faith with

the constitution on that day but also

Margaret with a a commitment to fiscal

responsibility a a commitment to the

sanctity of Life a a commitment to

American leadership in the world I mean

the president's reversal just in the

last week on uh on Tik Tock following an

Administration where where we literally

changed the national consensus on China

is the reason why I after a lot of

reflection I just concluded I I cannot

endorse the agenda that Donald Trump is

carrying uh into this National debate is

that the final word from you can you be

persuaded

if he changes tax to vote for him would

you vote for him I I won't be endorsing

Donald Trump this year but look I want

to be clear but would you vote for him I

I respect the right uh of Republican

voters who've made it clear who

therefore who they want to be our

standard Bearer uh this year what I'm

going to focus my energies on is uh what

remains of this year on what we should

be for I joined this party when I was in

college yeah cuz I heard the voice and

the values of another good Irishman

named Ronald Reagan who who said that we

need to be have a strong National

Defense but also recognize we're leader

the Free World that we need to stand for

Traditional Values the sanctity of life

we need to stand for the Constitution

and limited government and U in the

balance of this year and in the years

ahead I'm just going to continue to

Champion those values that I think are

not just good for the Republican Party

Margaret but I think that they are the

right policies for a stronger more

prosperous America but I I ask you about

persuad

and voting because this is not just Mr

Trump he has taken the party with him he

has taken the Senate Republican

leadership who are endorsing him he has

taken the house Republican endorsements

with him too in in terms of leadership

are all of those people from Mitch

McConnell to to Mike Johnson walking

away from the conservative principles

you say well I I I don't want to say

that they are I want to say that my deep

conviction theying Donald Trump that

this is a conservative

party with this is still a party I

believe that stands for Less government

less taxes American leadership in the

world traditional moral values and and

the right to life I just think frankly

the disaster of the Biden

Administration uh has uh has resulted in

people going back to what's familiar and

I understand that I I worked day in and

day out for four and a half years to

build that record of the Trump Pence

Administration I'm incredibly proud of

it uh but uh as I look at what Donald

Trump is running on now uh I I I simply

cannot in good conscience endorse his

candidacy this year uh on the issues of

the economy which many Republicans uh

refer to as you know something the Trump

Pence Administration did well with until

covid Trump's campaigning on that last

night he was talking about electric

vehicles in particular and said um when

it comes to Chinese companies who

manufacture in Mexico he's going to put

in tariffs but I want you to listen to

exactly what he

said we're going to put a 100% tariff on

every single car that comes across the

line and you're not going to be able to

sell those guys if I get elected now if

I don't get elected it's going to be a

blood bath for the whole that's going to

be the least of it it's going to be a

blood bath for the country that'll be

the least of

it what does that mean and given how

divided the country is does that

language concern you particularly when

it comes to political violence well

first I want to I want to commend you

Margaret for putting that in context I

mean I woke up this morning U seeing

online all the discussion about

bloodbath and as you've just reflected

the president was clearly talking uh

about the impact of of imports

devastating the American automotive

industry was that clear to you because

it was it was look I want people to know

my my look the president and I it was

very clear for four years the president

and I have have different

styles we're different men uh but my

differences with him are not over style

it's not over language and as I said

before it's not personal I mean for me

the reason why I I won't endorse Donald

Trump this year is because I see him

departing uh from the mainstream

conservative agenda that has defined the

Republican party over the last 40 years

and still has the best hope for the

future of the country and it sounds like

you're trying to move the party back in

that direction which is why I'm asking

you if you're persuadable here but on

that point you made about the commitment

to the sanctity of human life you say Mr

Trump's walking away from it President

Biden is telling voters that Donald

Trump's trying to ban access to abortion

even though he really hasn't given any

specifics as to what he actually thanks

um what would you like him to say that

that he will endorse a 15we restriction

like you did well I'm pro-life I don't

apologize for it I couldn't be more

proud to have played a role in the

administra that appointed three of the

justices that sent Rover versus way to

the ash heap of history but there

doesn't seem to be a conservative

consensus on this issue which is so

motivating to so many voters but look

that states around the country have been

advancing the principles of life I I was

very disappointed during our

presidential campaign When Donald Trump

uh denounced and said a pro-life Bill a

six-week Bill enacted in Florida which

had already been enacted in Georgia and

in Ohio was I think in his words

terrible mhm look we're we're a pro-life

party I mean I I really do believe that

there is a national role I I'd like I'd

like to see uh our nominee uh endorse a

minimum 15we ban but also I'd like to

see a nominee that's affirming the

sanctity of life as it's debated in

States across this country this is a pro

party protections for IVF absolutely

endorsing should embryos be considered

children well I look I'm I I I'm I'm

someone that believes in the sanctity of

human life that life begins at

conception my family is you know

Margaret is benefited by fertility

treatments and I think they should be

protected but I I also believe that in

the days ahead we would do well to

ensure that U that that unborn human

life including embryos are properly

treated and properly respected in the

law well we will track that uh Mr Pence

thank you for coming in