Former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence both spoke in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday — just not at the same time or place, and certainly not with the same vision for the Republican Party.
Trump spoke at the America First Agenda Summit hosted by the America First Policy Institute. The star-studded conference had former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in attendance, as well as 10 U.S. senators, 13 U.S. House members, eight former Cabinet officials, and nine former White House officials.
The Young America’s Foundation Conservative Student Conference hosted Pence alongside a variety of other conservative politicians and activists. Some politicians, such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), attended both the AFPI summit and YAF’s conference.
Despite Trump and Pence’s speeches being different in content, they both pointed the Republican Party in the wrong direction.
Pence’s remarks focused on the future of the GOP, but his policies were all rooted in the past. The former vice president constantly appealed to the Trump administration’s legacy in an attempt to legitimize his beliefs. “I couldn’t be more proud of the record of the Trump-Pence administration,” said Pence in response to a student’s question on the divide between him and Trump.
He proceeded to list a variety of policy achievements from the Trump administration, such as nominating three Supreme Court justices, supporting the military, and securing the border. “I don’t know that the president and I differ on the issues,” Pence said. “But we may differ on focus.”
If Pence is planning on challenging Trump in 2024, perhaps he should stop giving credit to the very man he is trying to run against. Pence can say he perceives the future differently all he wants, but Republican voters want solutions. No one will think that Pence is somehow more responsible than Trump for his administration’s successes.
Trump’s speech was bad for vastly different reasons. His support for executing drug dealers made headlines, and for good reason. “If you look at countries throughout the world, the ones that don’t have a drug problem are those that institute a very quick trial — death penalty sentence for drug dealers,” the former president said. “It sounds horrible, doesn’t it? But you know what? That’s the ones that don’t have any problem.”
The proposal is directly inspired by the actions of authoritarian regimes. Trump admits it himself and recites how he discussed drug policy with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Well, if somebody is selling drugs, they get the quick trial … and they get the death penalty,” Trump said while paraphrasing the conversation.
TRUMP: “These drug traffickers should and must receive the death penalty.” #AmericaFirstAgenda pic.twitter.com/e9FCEYLiF4
— Newsmax (@newsmax) July 26, 2022
He appeared to be aware of what he said, because shortly afterward, he tried to save face: “It’s never going to be quite like China … no matter how tough we get,” Trump said. You can’t take cover after admitting that your drug policy is inspired by a brutal regime that has little care for civil liberties, no matter how hard you try.
Trump’s solution to homelessness further shows a lack of knowledge on how to solve the crisis. “It would take years to build hospitals and housing facilities to take care of [the homeless],” Trump said. Instead, the former president’s solution is to “open up large parcels of inexpensive land in the outer reaches of the cities” while creating “thousands and thousands of high-quality tents.”
The homelessness crisis found within America’s cities is a symptom of failed housing and mental health policies. Forcibly moving our fellow citizens to tents on the outskirts of cities is far from a reasonable solution. Yet Trump is not trying to appeal to reason but pulling at the heartstrings of millions of Americans.
I can’t blame the former president for feeling so strongly about the issue. Parks are littered with trash and tents, while the homeless beg for cash, food, and clothes. I see it every day when walking around our nation’s capital. It is absolutely a problem that needs to be tackled.
But when gun control activists demand that politicians “do something” after a mass shooting, Republicans are quick to say that emotions do not make good policies. Why should this issue be any different?
Pence did not even discuss the homelessness crisis. No matter how misguided Trump’s policy prescriptions may be, the fact is that he still discussed the issue. His ability to identify the issues Republican voters care about is unparalleled, but his solutions are far from ideal. If someone does not come along with the ability to diagnose these same issues with better solutions, the United States will continue to face another cycle of pessimism, polarization, and decline.
James Sweet is a summer 2022 Washington Examiner fellow.
