Trump is ‘moving away’ from conservative principles

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Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday criticized former President Donald Trump’s positions on abortion and the national debt, accusing his old boss of straying from conservative principles.

“Look, in 2016, Donald Trump promised to govern as a conservative,” Pence said in an interview with NBC News’ Chuck Todd that will air Sunday on Meet the Press. “But he’s not making that promise today. Not only is he walking away from a clear commitment to the right to life, but, look, we have a national debt the size of our country’s economy.

“Donald Trump’s position on the national debt is identical to Joe Biden’s,” he said. “And to me the Republican Party should be the party of growth and accountability and fiscal reform.”

The party needs to be “straight with the American people about the size of this national debt,” Pence added.

Watch Meet the Press with Chuck Todd on Sundays at 9 am ET or check local listings.

Trump, the leading candidate for the 2024 GOP nomination, took credit for overturning Roe v. Wade last year, accepting his role in nominating conservative Supreme Court justices who ended the constitutional right to abortion.

In response to Pence’s remarks, a Trump spokeswoman said in a statement Saturday that the former president was proud of the historic accomplishments of his first term, which included “reshaping the federal judiciary and appointing three justices to the Court Supreme that overturned Roe.”

But in recent months, Trump has drawn ire from anti-abortion advocates for refusing to support a federal abortion ban and suggesting Florida’s six-week ban is “too harsh” on a jab against Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Trump said he believes the issue of abortion should be decided at the state level and that it is important to have exceptions to abortion restrictions.

Early in the race for the White House, Pence and DeSantis have emphasized their policy disagreements with Trump as they jockey for position behind the former president’s front-runner status.

Pence, who has launched a scathing attack against his former boss, has previously accused Trump of having the same position on fiscal policy as Biden, whom he describes as too heavy-handed on spending.

In his speech that kicked off his bid for the GOP nomination this month, the former vice president also attacked Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, as he explained why he would run against his longtime colleague. .

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