Former Vice President Mike Pence painted a picture of how he would handle issues of national security if elected president in 2024 at an event in Bedford, New Hampshire Saturday morning, where he was a special guest for Polaris National Security’s "America the Great" Tour across New Hampshire.
More than fifty people came out to hear Mike Pence talk about national security, including some undecided voters. The event comes after pro-Trump protesters gathered outside of Pence's Town Hall at the American Legion Hall in Londonderry Friday.
Speaking alongside former State Department spokesperson Megan Ortagus, Pence made promises to secure the country’s border, increase military spending and ban transgender people from the armed forces. The presidential hopeful also taking a strong stance on foreign policy, including Iran, Russia and China, adding that he would quote “ban TikTok in a heartbeat.”
This is his second campaign event in New Hampshire this weekend, following a Town Hall in Londonderry Friday. It comes after Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
“The weakness of the Biden administration has emboldened the around the world… Antidote to that is strength," Pence said.
This was Pence’s first campaign event since Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Around 10 Trump supporters showed up and called him a “sellout” and a “traitor” as soon as he arrived. The protest remained peaceful and Pence rejected the idea that Trump supporters could get violent in the wake of the capitol riot.
“Look one of the things that infuriated me that day, is when I saw people breaking glass, when I saw people assaulting police officers, I stayed in the capitol," Pence said. "One of the things that infuriated me is because I knew many members of the national media -- and our political opponents -- would use it to paint a broad brush about everybody in this movement who would never have done anything there, or anywhere else.”
Pence also urged Trump supporters to read the indictment and judge for themselves, maintaining that he was on the right side of history that day.
“I never ever waivered," Pence said. "I never changed my commitment to him until the day came that my oath to the constitution required me do otherwise."
If elected, Pence promised to bring military spending to minimum of 3.5% of GDP
