Mike Pence in 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate
On Abortion:
We embrace life because we're better for it
KAINE: I think you should live your moral values. But the last thing, the very last thing that government should do is have laws that would punish women who make reproductive choices. And that is the fundamental difference between a Clinton-Kaine ticket
and a Trump-Pence ticket that wants to punish women who make that choice.PENCE: No, it's really not. Donald Trump and I would never support legislation that punished women who made the heartbreaking choice to end a pregnancy.
KAINE: Then why did Donald Trump say that?
PENCE: Look, he's not a polished politician like you and Hillary Clinton. Things don't always come out exactly the way he means them. But I'm telling you what the policy of our administration would be.
Donald Trump is standing for the right to life. We can create a culture of life. More and more young people today are embracing life because we're better for it, like Mother Teresa said at that famous national prayer breakfast...
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Abortion:
Partial-birth abortion is just anathema to me
My Christian faith became real for me when I made a personal decision for Christ when I was a freshman in college. I would tell you that for me the sanctity of life proceeds out of the belief that where God says, "before you were formed in the womb,
I knew you," and so for my first time in public life, I sought to stand with great compassion for the sanctity of life. But what I can't understand is with Hillary Clinton and now Senator Kaine at her side is to support a practice like
partial-birth abortion. I mean, to hold to the view -- and I know Senator Kaine, you hold pro-life views personally -- but the very idea that a child that is almost born into the world could still have their life taken from them is just anathema to me.
Clinton wants to repeal the longstanding provision in the law where we said we wouldn't use taxpayer dollars to fund abortion.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Budget & Economy:
We've almost doubled the national debt; but not Indiana
Q: Are you concerned that adding more to the debt could be disastrous?A: I think the fact that under this past administration was of which Clinton was a part, we've almost doubled the national debt is atrocious. Indiana has balanced budgets. We cut
taxes, we've made record investments in education and in infrastructure, and I still finish my term with $2 billion in the bank. Kaine [as governor] actually tried to raise taxes by about $4 billion. He left his state about $2 billion in the hole.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Budget & Economy:
Change of leadership will lead to America's comeback
The potential is there to really change the direction of this country, but it's going to take leadership to do it. The American people want to see our nation standing tall on the world stage again.
They want to see us supporting our military, rebuilding our military, commanding the respect of the world, and they want to see the American economy off to the races again. They want to see an American comeback.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Crime:
Law enforcement is not a force for racism or division
Q: Senator Tim Scott, who is African-American, recently spoke on the Senate floor. He said he was stopped seven times by law enforcement in one year.KAINE: A U.S. senator!
Q: He said, "I have felt the anger, the frustration, the sadness, and the
humiliation that comes with feeling like you're being targeted for nothing more than being just yourself." What would you say to Senator Scott about his experiences?
PENCE: I have the deepest respect for Senator Scott, and he's a close friend.
And what I would say is that we need to adopt criminal justice reform nationally. I signed criminal justice reform in the state of Indiana, and we're very proud of it. I worked when I was Congress on a Second Chance Act. We have got to do a better job
recognizing and correcting the errors in the system that do reflect on institutional bias in criminal justice. But what Donald Trump and I truly do believe is that law enforcement is not a force for racism or division in our country.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Crime:
Bringing up "implicit bias" demeans police officers
Police officers hear the bad-mouthing that comes from people that seize upon tragedy in the wake of police action shootings as a reason to use a broad brush to accuse law enforcement of implicit bias or institutional racism. That has got to stop.
When an African-American police officer in Charlotte was involved in a police action shooting that claimed the life of Keith Lamont Scott, it was a tragedy. Clinton actually referred to that moment as an example of implicit bias in the police force;
when she was asked whether there was implicit bias in law enforcement, her only answer was that there's implicit bias in everyone in the US. We ought to stop seizing on these moments of tragedy. We ought to assure the public that we'll have a full and
complete and transparent investigation whenever there's a loss of life because of police action. Enough of this seeking every opportunity to demean law enforcement broadly by making the accusation of implicit bias every time tragedy occurs.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Crime:
Inner-city families should want stop-and-frisk
Law enforcement in this country is a force for good. They truly are people that put their lives on the line every single day. But I would suggest [that] what we need to do is assert a stronger leadership at the national level to support law enforcement.
You just heard Kaine reject stop-and-frisk. I would suggest to you that the families that live in our inner cities that are besieged by crime [would benefit from it].
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Crime:
Police officer are the best of us; restore law & order
Police officers are the best of us. And the men and women, white, African-American, Asian, Latino, Hispanic, they put their lives on the line every single day. And let my say, at the risk of agreeing with you, community policing is a great idea.
It's worked in the Hoosier state. And we fully support that. Trump and I are going to make sure that law enforcement have the resources and the tools to be able to really restore law and order to the cities and communities in this nation.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Foreign Policy:
America's place in the world is weakened
PENCE: For the last seven-and-a-half years, we've seen America's place in the world weakened. We've seen an economy stifled by more taxes, more regulation, a war on coal, and a failing health care reform come to be known as ObamaCare, and the
American people know that we need to make a change. KAINE: Governor Pence doesn't think the world's going so well and he is going to say it's everybody's fault.
PENCE: Do you?
KAINE: Let me tell you this.
When Hillary Clinton became secretary of state, Governor Pence, did you know that Osama bin Laden was alive?
PENCE: Yes. [But] at a time of great challenge in the life of this nation, where we've weakened America's place in the world and stifled
America's economy.
KAINE: Do you know that we had 175,000 troops deployed in the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan? Do you know that Iran was racing toward a nuclear weapon and Russia was expanding its stockpile?
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Foreign Policy:
Fight Russia with strength and allies
There's an old proverb that says the Russian bear never dies, it just hibernates. The weak foreign policy of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has awakened an aggression in Russia that first appeared a few years ago with their move in Georgia,
now their move into Crimea, now their move into the wider Middle East. All we do is fold our arms and say we're not having talks anymore. We need American strength. We need to marshal the resources of our allies in the region.
America is stronger than Russia. Our economy is 16 times larger than the Russian economy. America's political system is superior to the crony, corrupt capitalist system in Russia. When Donald Trump and I observe that the small and bullying leader of
Russia has been stronger on the world stage than this administration, that's stating painful facts. That's not an endorsement of Vladimir Putin. That's an indictment of the weak and feckless leadership.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Foreign Policy:
Trump for extreme vetting of immigrants and no Syrians
Q: Does the Trump/Pence campaign call for barring Syrian refugees?A: Trump has called for extreme vetting for people coming into this country so that we don't bring people into the United States who are hostile to the American way life.
Donald Trump and I are committed to suspending the Syrian refugee program and programs and immigration from areas of the world that have been compromised by terrorism.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Homeland Security:
Bar Syrian refugees so ISIS cannot infiltrate America
KAINE: Mike Pence put a program in place to keep refugees out if they're from Syria. And yesterday an appellate court with three Republican judges struck down the Pence plan and said it was discriminatory.PENCE: Right. Those judges said it was
because there wasn't any evidence yet that ISIS had infiltrated the United States. Well, Germany just arrested three Syrian refugees that were connected to ISIS.
KAINE: But they told you there's a right way and a wrong way to do it.
PENCE: Look, if
you're going to be critical of me on that, that's fair game. I will tell you, after two Syrian refugees were involved in the attack in Paris that is called Paris' 9/11, as governor of the state of Indiana, I have no higher priority than the safety and
security of the people of my state. So you bet I suspended that program. And I stand by that decision. And if I'm vice president of the United States or Donald Trump is president, we're going to put the safety and security of the American people first.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Homeland Security:
Rebuild military and project American strength in the world
Hillary Clinton's top priority when she became secretary of state was the Russian reset. After the Russian reset, the Russians invaded Ukraine and took over Crimea. And the small and bullying leader of Russia is now dictating terms to the US [in Syria].
Look, we have got to begin to lean into this with strong, broad-shouldered American leadership.I just have to tell you that the provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength. It begins by rebuilding our military. And the Russians & the
Chinese have been making enormous investments in the military. We have the smallest Navy since 1916. We have the lowest number of troops since the end of the Second World War. We've got to work with Congress, and Donald Trump will, to rebuild our
military & project American strength in the world. We've just got to have American strength on the world stage. When Donald Trump becomes president, the Russians and other countries in the world will know they're dealing with a strong American president.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Homeland Security:
Bar Syrian refugees so ISIS cannot infiltrate America
KAINE: Mike Pence put a program in place to keep refugees out if they're from Syria. And yesterday an appellate court with three Republican judges struck down the Pence plan and said it was discriminatory.PENCE: Right. Those judges said it was
because there wasn't any evidence yet that ISIS had infiltrated the United States. Well, Germany just arrested three Syrian refugees that were connected to ISIS.
KAINE: But they told you there's a right way and a wrong way to do it.
PENCE: Look, if
you're going to be critical of me on that, that's fair game. I will tell you, after two Syrian refugees were involved in the attack in Paris that is called Paris' 9/11, as governor of the state of Indiana, I have no higher priority than the safety and
security of the people of my state. So you bet I suspended that program. And I stand by that decision. And if I'm vice president of the United States or Donald Trump is president, we're going to put the safety and security of the American people first.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Homeland Security:
Rebuild military and project American strength in the world
Hillary Clinton's top priority when she became secretary of state was the Russian reset. After the Russian reset, the Russians invaded Ukraine and took over Crimea. And the small and bullying leader of Russia is now dictating terms to the US [in Syria].
Look, we have got to begin to lean into this with strong, broad-shouldered American leadership.I just have to tell you that the provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength. It begins by rebuilding our military. And the Russians & the
Chinese have been making enormous investments in the military. We have the smallest Navy since 1916. We have the lowest number of troops since the end of the Second World War. We've got to work with Congress, and Donald Trump will, to rebuild our
military & project American strength in the world. We've just got to have American strength on the world stage. When Donald Trump becomes president, the Russians and other countries in the world will know they're dealing with a strong American president.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Immigration:
Focus on border security and removing criminal aliens
KAINE: Donald Trump has said it--"deportation force." They want to go house to house and kick out 16 million people.PENCE: That's nonsense. We have a deportation force. It's called Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. And the union for ICE endorsed
Donald Trump to be the next president.
KAINE: So you like the 16 million deportations?
PENCE: That's nonsense. [Your plan is] for open borders & amnesty.
KAINE: Our plan is like Ronald Reagan's plan from 1986.
PENCE: They call it comprehensive
immigration reform on Capitol Hill--but it's amnesty. Ronald Reagan said a nation without borders is not a nation. Donald Trump is committed to restoring the borders of this nation.
Q: So how would these millions of undocumented immigrants
leave? Would they be forcibly removed?
PENCE: Donald Trump laid out a series of priorities that begins with border security. And after we secure the border, build a wall, we do internal enforcement. The focus has to be on criminal aliens.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Immigration:
End sanctuary cities; those policies drive wages down
Q: What would you tell the millions of undocumented immigrants who have not committed violent crimes?A: Trump has laid out a plan to end illegal immigration once and for all in this country. We've been talking it to death for 20 years. Hillary
Clinton and Tim Kaine want to continue the policies of open borders, amnesty, catch and release, sanctuary cities--all the things that are are driving wages down in this country, and also too often with criminal aliens in the country, it's bringing
heartbreak. But Trump has a plan that he laid out in Arizona, that will deal systemically with illegal immigration, beginning with border security, internal enforcement. Trump has laid out a priority to remove criminal aliens, remove people that have
overstayed their visas. Once we have accomplished all of that, which will strengthen our economy, strengthen the rule of law in the country and make our communities safer once the criminal aliens are out, then we'll deal with those that remain.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Jobs:
Indiana's unemployment rate was cut in half since 2013
Pence asserted, "In the state of Indiana, we've cut unemployment in half; unemployment doubled when [Kaine] was governor." Are both true?Fact Check: While the claim is factual, Kaine's gubernatorial tenure ended in 2010 (the year when
the national unemployment rate peaked) and Pence's gubernatorial tenure began in 2013 (i.e., more than 2 years after the Great Recession officially ended and the national economy was expanding).
Source: FactCheck.org on 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate
Oct 4, 2016
On Principles & Values:
Serve based on a lifetime of experience from small towns
I'm a small-town boy. I grew up with a cornfield in my backyard. My grandfather immigrated to this country when he was about my son's age. My mom and dad built everything that matters in a small town in Southern Indiana. They built a family and a good
name & a business. And they raised a family. And I dreamed some day of representing my home town in Washington DC, but honestly, I never imagined I'd have the opportunity to be governor of the state that I love, let alone be in this kind of a position.
I would hope that if the responsibility ever fell to me in this role, that I would meet it with the way that I'm going to meet the responsibility should I be elected vice president. And that's to bring a lifetime of experience growing up in a small
town, a lifetime where I've served in the Congress, where I've led a state that works, and whatever other responsibilities might follow from this, I would hope and, frankly, I would pray to be able to meet that moment with that lifetime of experience.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Principles & Values:
Clinton Foundation is platform for Clintons' world travel
PENCE: The Trump Foundation is non-profit. The Trump Foundation is a private family foundation. They give virtually every cent in the Trump Foundation to charitable causes. Less than ten cents on the dollar in the
Clinton Foundation has gone to charitable causes. It has been a platform for the Clintons to travel the world, to have staff. KAINE: The Clinton Foundation provides AIDS drugs to 11.5 million people.
Hillary as secretary of state took no action to benefit the foundation. But let's compare this with the Trump organization. His sons have said that the organization has a lot of business dealings in Russia.
And the Trump organization is not a non-profit. It's putting money into Donald Trump's pockets, whereas the Clinton Foundation is a non- profit and no Clinton family member draws any salary.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Social Security:
We're going to meet our obligations to our seniors
KAINE: Donald Trump wrote a book and said Social Security is a Ponzi scheme and privatization would be good for all of us.PENCE: Well, there they go again.
KAINE: Go read the book And when Congressman Pence was in Congress, he was the chief cheerleader for the privatization of Social Security. Even after President Bush stopped pushing for it, Congressman Pence kept pushing for it.
We're going to stand up against efforts to privatize Social Security. And we'll look for ways to keep it solvent going forward, focusing primarily on the payroll tax cap.
PENCE: All Donald Trump and I have said about Social Security is we're going to meet our obligations to our seniors. That's it.
KAINE: Go read the book.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Social Security:
We will keep promises to seniors
All Donald Trump and I have said about Social Security is we're going to meet our obligations to our seniors. That's it. We've said we're going to meet the obligations of Medicare. That's what this campaign is really about.
And I get [it, that] this is the old scare tactic that they roll out. We're going to reform government programs so we can meet the obligations of Social Security and Medicare.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Tax Reform:
Lower taxes across the board, and we'll get growth
Trump and I have a plan to get this economy moving again just the way that it worked in the 1980s, just the way it worked in the 1960s, and that is by lowering taxes across the board for working families, small businesses and family farms, ending the
war on coal that is hurting jobs and hurting this economy even here in Virginia, repealing Obamacare lock, stock, and barrel, and repealing all of the executive orders that Barack Obama has signed that are stifling economic growth in this economy.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On Technology:
Cyber-warfare is new tool of US enemies
We have got to bring together the best resources of this country to understand that cyber warfare is the new warfare of the enemies that we face in this country.
I look forward if I'm privileged to be in this role of working with you in the Senate to make sure that we resource that effort.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On War & Peace:
Back at war in Iraq because we didn't leave enough forces
After Clinton traveling millions of miles as our Secretary of State, after she being the architect of the foreign policy of this administration, America is less safe today than it was the day that Obama became president. It's absolutely inarguable.
We've weakened the US's place in the world. It's been a combination of factors, but mostly it's been a lack of leadership. I will give you [the killing of bin Laden]. Osama bin Laden led Al Qaida. Our primary threat today is ISIS.
Because Clinton failed to renegotiate a status of forces agreement that would have allowed some American combat troops to remain in Iraq and secure the hard fought gains the American soldier had won,
ISIS was able to be conjured up out of the desert, and it's overrun vast areas that the American soldier had won. Because Clinton and Obama failed to provide a status of forces agreement and leave sufficient troops in there, we are back at war.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On War & Peace:
Protect civilians in Aleppo by enforcing Safe Zones
Q: 250,000 people-100,000 of them children--are under siege in Aleppo, Syria. Does the U.S. have a responsibility to prevent mass casualties on this scale?PENCE: The United States of America needs to begin to exercise strong leadership to protect the
vulnerable citizens in Aleppo. What America ought to do right now is immediately establish safe zones, so that families and vulnerable families with children can move out of those areas, work with our Arab partners, real time, right now, to make that
happen. And if Russia chooses to be involved and continue to be involved in this barbaric attack on civilians in Aleppo, the US should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets of the Assad regime to prevent them from this
humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Aleppo. There's a broad range of other things that we ought to do, as well [to pressure Russia, such as] to deploy a missile defense shield to the Czech Republic and Poland.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On War & Peace:
Protect civilians in Aleppo by enforcing Safe Zones
Q: 250,000 people-100,000 of them children--are under siege in Aleppo, Syria. Does the U.S. have a responsibility to prevent mass casualties on this scale?PENCE: The United States of America needs to begin to exercise strong leadership to protect the
vulnerable citizens in Aleppo. What America ought to do right now is immediately establish safe zones, so that families and vulnerable families with children can move out of those areas, work with our Arab partners, real time, right now, to make that
happen. And if Russia chooses to be involved and continue to be involved in this barbaric attack on civilians in Aleppo, the US should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets of the Assad regime to prevent them from this
humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Aleppo. There's a broad range of other things that we ought to do, as well [to pressure Russia, such as] to deploy a missile defense shield to the Czech Republic and Poland.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On War & Peace:
Iran deal delivered $400M as ransom to terrorist sponsor
PENCE: I fought hard on a bipartisan basis with Republican and Democrat members to move forward the toughest sanctions literally in the history of the United States, against Iran. We were bringing them to heel, but the goal was always that we would
only lift the sanctions if Iran permanently renounced their nuclear ambitions.They have not renounced their nuclear ambitions. And when the deal's period runs out, there's no limitation on them obtaining weapons. We delivered $400 million in cash as a
ransom payment for Americans held by the radical mullahs in Tehran.KAINE: Let me tell you what will really make the Middle East dangerous. Donald Trump's idea that more nations should get nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea.
Ronald Reagan said something about nuclear proliferation in the 1980s. He said the problem is that some fool or maniac could trigger a catastrophic event. I think that's who Governor Pence's running mate is, exactly who Governor Reagan warned us about.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
On War & Peace:
Peace with North Korea through US strength
Q: How would you prevent North Korea from developing a nuclear-armed missile?PENCE: We need to rebuild our military, including modernizing our nuclear forces. We need an effective American diplomacy that will marshal the resources of nations in the
Asian Pacific Rim to put pressure on North Korea, on Kim Jong-un, to abandon his nuclear ambitions. When Donald Trump is president, we're not going to have the world flouting American power. We're going back to the days of peace through strength.
KAINE: You asked the question about how deal with a North Korea. I'm on the Foreign Relations Committee. We just did an extensive sanctions package against North Korea. The U.N. followed and did this -- virtually the same package.
Often China will use their veto in the Security Council to veto a package like that. They're starting to get worried about North Korea, too. So they actually supported the sanctions package, even though many of the sanctions are against Chinese firms.
Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Oct 4, 2016
Page last updated: Dec 09, 2018