Mike Pence says the Trump administration has ‘departed’ from conservative principles

Trump administrationMike Pence says the Trump administration has ‘departed’ from conservative principlesThe former vice president also called the Trump administration’s “anti-weaponization” fund “deeply offensive.”Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Former Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump administration has "departed" from core conservative principles. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images file ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 31, 2026, 10:13 AM EDTBy Alexandra MarquezFormer Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday that the second administration of President Donald Trump has “departed” from traditional conservative principle in the president’s second term.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“I think what’s lesser known right now is the way the second Trump administration has departed from the conservative agenda that we governed on, the conservative agenda that has defined the Republican Party since the days of Ronald Reagan, and before that an agenda of American leadership, limited government, free market economics, the right to life,” Pence, who served as Trump’s vice president from 2017 to 2021, told NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”He added that “on a number of those issues the president’s been good” in the past.The former vice president added that despite Trump’s lack of focus on traditional conservative principles, he still has a “hold” on core Republican voters.“I don’t think there’s any question about the president’s popularity,” Pence said, adding, “I give him all the credit in the world for the hold that he has on Republican voters.”The former vice president said he still believes GOP voters align with the party’s core conservative principles, telling “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, “I still believe, Kristen, that the overwhelming majority of people that ever vote Republican, believe in freedom, believe in limited government, believe in traditional values, and I thin...