Pence hits Trump, Ramaswamy, and DeSantis on foreign policy following Israel terror attack

Former Vice President Mike Pence called out several of his Republican opponents in the 2024 presidential primary on Sunday, hitting them for what he claimed is “signaling retreat from America’s role as leader of the free world” following the fatal Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel Saturday.

He specifically named fellow presidential candidates former President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), and Vivek Ramaswamy during his appearance on CNN’s State of the Union.

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“I also believe this is what happens when we have leading voices like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Ron DeSantis signaling retreat from America’s role as leader of the free world,” he claimed.

“I look what happened in Ukraine—was an unprovoked invasion by Russia. What happened this weekend was an unprovoked invasion by Hamas in Israel,” Pence explained.

“I really believe, now more than ever, both the debate within the Republican Party and the debate within America is whether or not we’re going to once again stand without apology as the leader of the free world as the arsenal of democracy,” the former vice president said.

According to him, “the heartbreaking images coming out of both of these theaters of operations remind us that America is the indispensable leader of the free world and if I’m President of the United States, we’ll lead from American strength.”

Pence’s stark criticism of his opponents on foreign policy comes as the Republican Party faces a significant division on issues of foreign aid and military involvement.

Following the Saturday terrorist attack, Pence told Republicans in Iowa that the populist and isolationist trend within the party is in part responsible for Hamas’s ability to successfully attack Israel. “Voices of appeasement like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Ron DeSantis that I believe have run contrary to the tradition in our party that America is the leader of the free world,” he said in rebuke of his opponents.

Throughout Pence’s presidential bid, a return to Republicans and Americans as global leaders rather than bystanders has been a rallying call for his supporters. He has denounced the growing popularity of populism within the GOP, making the case for former President Ronald Reagan’s brand of “peace through strength.”

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He called on his competitors Saturday “to abandon the language of appeasement—to say that we will stand strong with Israel, we will stand strong with Ukraine, we will stand as the leader of the free world. And as President of the United States, I will.”

Trump, Ramaswamy, and DeSantis have each condemned the terrorist attacks and pledged their support for Israel.