Well, its not the first time you have interviewed me, so i am used to it. How about a round of applause for Associated Press and georgetown and clemson . And the university of New Hampshire and iowa state. [applause] Vice President pence thank you all for joining us. Host thank you very much. Lets get to it. One of the first things i would like to talk to you about is ukraine. Why is it important for the United States to continue to support ukraine . V. P pence such an important place to start and i appreciate it very much. I am running for president because i think this country is in a lot of trouble. I think joe biden has weakened our country at home and abroad. The disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan is emboldening our enemies around the world and now, war is raging in Eastern Europe as russia continues to prosecute its unprovoked and unconscionable invasion of ukraine. And as a leader of the free world, i believe its incumbent on the United States of america to continue to provide the support for the Ukrainian Military so that they can defeat and repel that russian invasion and reclaim their sovereignty. The reason for that is not some of the reasons that you may have heard. I know that President Biden has taken to talking about our need to defend democracy in ukraine. Well, i have met president zelenskyy. I am not certain that ukraine doesnt have a lot of progress to make in democracy and in combating corruption. I confronted president zelenskyy the first time we met on that same issue. United states should continue to support the military in ukraine as they fight to defeat and repel the russian invasion is because its in our National Interest to do it. It was back in 1985, Ronald Reagan articulated a policy that came to be known as the reagan doctrine. It was simply this. If youre willing to fight the communists in your country with injure soldiers well give you the means to fight them there so we dont have to fight them. I will tell you, the young men and women here and those look on, i believe that if Vladimir Putin and the Russian Military overruns ukraine it will not be long before they cross the border of a nato country where our men and women in uniform would be required to go and fight. Meg if i may, getting directly to the assistance youre talking about, and that support. The temporary spending measure passed over the weekend and signed by the president did not include any aid for ukraine. Would you have supported that . Is that the right way to keep the government operating even on a temporary basis . Vice president pence well i think continuing resolutions represent a failure of the congress to do its job. But im going to continue to be a strong voice for american support for weapons for ukraine. Think about this for just a moment, if you can. Its been a year and a half since Vladimir Putin launched his unconscionable and brutal invasion of ukraine. During that time, with 5 of our defense budget, in a year and a half, the military in ukraine has held on to 85 of their soil and russia has gone from the second most powerful military in the world to the second most powerful military in ukraine. Thats what we call progress so i really do believe that whatever the mechanic nations in the congress of the United States, im going to continue to be a strong voice in the Republican Party. America is the leader of the free world. If were not leading the free world, the free world is not being led. I believe that the best way to check chinas ambitions in the asia pacific is to continue to give the Ukrainian Military what they need to repel the russian invasion. As i said in a debate, a quiet, bore degree bait last week, at the reagan library, i really do believe that if russia overruns ukraine thatll give a green light, thatll give a green light to china to move against tie ran. And quite frankly if we dont check the efforts by authoritarian regimes to redraw International Lines by force, the rest of the 21st century could lookic a lot like the first half of the 20th century. Meg were going to talk more about potential issues involving china and taiwan in a moment. But do you feel opposition in the Republican Party to helping out countries like ukraine, does that give putin a window . Does that concern you specifically . Vice president pence isolationism is not a new spot in america. Frankly, it was John Quincy Adams that said america mesh should never go abroad looking for monsters to destroy. That was his quote. We never have. The war in ukraine is not our war but freedom is our fight. I really do believe what i think is undermining the traditional support among republicans for arms for ukraine is the fact that i think President Biden has done a terrible job explaining what our interest is there. His speech is about democracy. His speeches about democracy dont connect with the american public. Frankly also, i think that disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan, undermined Public Confidence in the president s leadership as commander in chief. And thats why we need new leadership in the white house. Leadership that can marshal the energies and resources of the American People. And the last thingis there are voices in our party, meg, that suggest we have to choose between securing our border, or reviving our economy, or unleashing american energy, or being the leader of the free world. I think thats a false choice. I think we can do both. Anyone that says we cant solve our problems here at home and be the leader of the free world has a pretty small view of the greatest nation on earth we can do both. If im president of the United States, i promise you we will. Meg to follow up on that specifically, thats a good idea, focusing on the domestic and foreign. Even as evidenced today as were seeing play out in the house of representatives with issues surrounding republican speaker Kevin Mccarthy, whether hes going to maintain that position, then when theres that level of Division Within the Republican Party, how do you really seek to unite some of those voices . You can accomplish what you say youd like to do. Vice president pence i still believe the majority of republicans, a Strong Majority of americans, understand were the leader of the free world. And want to see america continue to provide support for the military in ukraine with accountability. No blank checks. But to continue to give them the means to repel that russian aggression. But i dont know if whats happen on capitol hill suggests a great deal of division in the Republican Party. I think what youre witnessing is a handful of republicans, partnering with democrats in congress, to create chaos and oust a sitting speaker of the house. Its i must tell you this is one of the days that i dont miss being in congress. Truth is, the truth is the chaos were seeing on capitol hill today is just one more reason why the American People want to see new leadership. Look, weve got to have leadership in the white house. Weve got to have leadership at every level in this country thats focused on what the American People are focused on. This is a very difficult time. In the life of our nation. Its an increasingly dangerous time in the life of the world. And im term erm im determined to bring the kind of leadership that can marshal the energies of the American People to meet that moment. Meg another issue id like to switch to, as alluded to earlier, is china theres thought that xi jinping has a centralization of power unmatched in recent history. How would you work with him . As president , how would you effort to change his mind on issues that you would view as important to the United States . Vice president pence as you said before these things are inextricably linked. Its one big world. And i really do believe the most effective way to check chinas ambitions in the asia pacific is for the United States and the western world to stand strong. With the military in ukraine. Weakness arouses evil. And i really do believe the president that president xi who called himself an unlimited partner of russia, who there is apparently no amount of war crimes, no amount of brutality the Russian Military could commit, as they have in ukraine, i was there a few months back, i stood where there was once a mass grave of 550 people buried. Outside of a church in bucha. I saw froofs men, women and children who were literally gunned down in the street while they were coming back from shopping and groceries. Then they were left in the street and when family members came out to collect their remains, the family members were shot. I mean china has said were an unlimited partner. Of course iran is continuing to provide weaponry and drones. Look. I led the administrations effort in articulating a new policy toward china in 2018. You can go look it up. I gave a speech in 2018 at the Hudson Institute in which we said, after years of trade abuses, after years of intellectual property theft, after years of military provocations in the asia pacific, and human rights abuses against Muslim Uighurs and christian pastors in china, we said 250 pl in tariff on china we made record investments in our military to make it clear wed see to our interests in the asia pacific. It is a cliche but cliches are grounded in truth. Peace comes through strength. The best way we can confront china, which is the greatest economic and strategic threat the United States faces in the 21st century is with strength. And as i said in a followon speech a couple of weeks ago at the Hudson Institute, went to the same place six years later, i said weve got to build a military fitted to the times. Still the most powerful military in the world. China is working every day to catch up and pass us by. Weve had build out a navy. Weve got to build out a military that will deter military ambitions of china. And secondly, i think we need to use access to our economy to bring china to the table. To end the intellectual property theft and trade abuses and leave aside their provocation and human rights abuses in recent years. So we are the most powerful economy on earth. Most powerful military on earth we need to use that american strength to continue to invite china into the family of nations. But to make it clear that america is prepared to defend our economy and defend our interests wherever theyre challenged in the world. Meg speaking of that strength then, would you see your administration as moving more away from strategic ambiguity to strategic clarity when it comes to taiwan and potentially getting involved with u. S. Forces there . Vice president pence strategic ambiguity is one of those peculiar oddities in history negotiated many, many years ago with china. One of my competitors in the republican primaries primaries said wed whaik a commitment to defend taiwan until 2028 when we got our microchip back and then go back to ambiguity. That doesnt seem ambiguous to me. That seems like a flashing green light for china to move on taiwan. Im someone who believes you never tell the enemy what youll never do. The point is you want a military Strong Enough that the taiwan that taiwan work whom we provide military support, is fully armed. Fully capable of defending themselves. And that our allies in the region are fully prepared to seek the interest of free nations. And then you never have to answer that question. Meg we have a lot of young voters joining us today here in gaston hall as well as across the country. I cant move off of issues related to china without asking you about tiktok. Tiktok plans claims 150 million u. S. Users. A recent survey Shows Nearly Half of americans 1834 have opened accounts on the platform is it realistic then, you talked about wanting to ban tiktok. Sit realistic to ask those millions of users to just give it up . Vice president pence well i dont know about realistic but its the right idea. If youre comfortable with the Chinese CommunistParty Gathering personal information on you through tiktok go right ahead. But thats what theyre doing. I mean, tiktok is controlled by the Chinese Communist party. It is penetrating our economy. It is gathering private information on americans. Every single hour of every single day. And look, ive got three kids. Theyre all married two of them have families in the service. So i know about your generation. Im all about it. Right. Im still kind of a dad, you know, still catching up with social media every day. So i know how much you li on that communication with each other. But i just tiktok is different. Theres a reason we banned it from the federal government. Theres a reason why we have states around the country banning it. It compromises privacy. And china today, you need to understand. We can document the chi that china steals billions of dollars of intellectual property every year from the United States. And so if you dont think that theyre not gathering, collect, collating and preserving information about you, you have, as we like to say, another thing coming. My word to young people and turnover american is ta tiktok is not consistent with the privacy rights of americans. I wont tell you what platforms to use. Where to post your videos. But ill do what i can as if im president of the United States to make sure we dont have a platform operating in america that compromises the privacy rights of americans. Meg one last question before moving on to something else. Ive done reporting around tiktok and its use by one of your rivals, vives ramaswamy, the only g. O. P. Hopeful on tiktok. When we reached out to the company to ask about concernus noted about the platform their argument is banning it is in the a conservative move at all. Something more con severtive, they argue, would be more along the license of a National Privacy law. What do you make of that assertion . Vice president pence i got to know vivek a few years ago, hes a good man, a good family man, but hes wrong about a lot. Hes wrong about tiktok. Of course he wasnt always wrong. About six months ago he said tiktok was, quote, digital fentanyl for americas youth. And then a couple of weeks ago he had din we are the tiktok executive and signed up for tiktok. I just believe in telling people the truth whether its comfortable or no. Thats one of the reasons why im one of the few candidates running for president thats telling the American People we are facing a debt crisis. And i know were here to talk about Foreign Policy but you have to but i have to tell you, i think we have to produce leadership at the National Level thats willing to be honest with younger americans, those here and those looking on, and tell you that that 33 trillion National Debt is, if you dont like the president thats if you dont elect a president willing to reform Social Security and medicare, thats going to grow by a factor of five in the next 20 years. If you think inflation is bad today with 33 trillion in debt, buckle up. When its 150 trillion. The tiktok issue ill just be honest with people. I dont see how there is no private enterprise in china. The Chinese Communist party, under chinese law, has access to all the data of every company in china. And so if you think you can be involved every day, sharing private information and funny videos and memories of your day with friends and neighbors and not understand that thats being collected somewhere and saved somewhere in the event it might be useful, youve got to think harder about it. Meg thank you for that. Im going to move along to discussing army general mark mil lee who recently concluded his term as chairman of the joint chiefs. He has emphasized what he sees as the importance of taking his ath tohestitution. The same kind of notion you discussed a lot. Even the title of your book, so help me god, you reference that. Its the constitution, not anyone else. I have some further questions but first how would you evaluate general milleys various as chairman of the joint chiefs . Vice president pence i havent agreed with every recent decision made at the pentagon during his tenure as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff but i honor his service to the country. Four decades in the uniform of the United States. Frankly what donald trump said about him in that tweet about treason and death was utterly inexcusable. I truly do believe we owe a debt of gratitude to men and women that serve in uniform. That we can never fully repay. My dad was a combat veteran in korea. My son is a captain in the marine corps. My soninlaw is a lieutenant in the navy. The men and women who put on the uniform of the United States, whether our politics agrees with them or not on any particular issue, deserve the respect of every american. I honor his service to the country. Meg you referenced the fo