Pence Talks About Trump, Ukraine During Visit To W&L

Tuesday night, former Vice President Mike Pence spoke at Washington and Lee  University for the spring kickoff of the university’s mock convention in 2024.

Pence spoke on the potential for an indictment of former President Donald Trump, Ukraine, and offered a challenge to students.

He also answered questions from reporters before his talk inside a packed University Chapel.

Asked about rumors that the Manhattan district attorney plans to bring an indictment against Trump, Pence expressed frustration, but urged calm.

“I understand the frustration. I as I said this past weekend, if [Trump] is indeed indicted by the DA that appears to me to be a politically motivated prosecution,” he said. “But I think letting our voices be heard in other ways and not engaging in protest I think is most prudent.”

Pence also encouraged continued support for Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of the issue.

“We’ll speak tonight I about the war raging in Ukraine. Let me be very clear on this. The war in Ukraine is not a territorial dispute. It is a Russian invasion.”

The United States, he argued, must remain involved.

“Ukraine is not our war but freedom is our fight,” he said. “The United States of America, as the leader of the free world, as the arsenal of democracy, needs to continue to remain committed to providing the courageous Ukrainian military the support they need to repel that Russian invasion.”

In speaking to W&L students, Pence wanted to emphasize the national debt, encouraging the younger generation to be aware of its future impact.

“If we wait for 30 years to confront the drivers of that debt, which are largely entitlements and interest on the national debt, then this generation of Americans will be faced with nothing but bad choices,” he said.

“Tonight I’m going to talk about that with these young people and see if we can’t help them marshal voices in this generation for challenging leaders today to confront this major crisis.”

For more on Pence’s talk, see the March 29 issue of The News-Gazette.