Mike Pence Reacts to Trump's Middle East Trip: 'Disappointed'
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Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized his one-time boss, President Donald Trump, on Wednesday, saying he was "disappointed" in the itinerary for the first major foreign trip of Trump's second term.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email on Wednesday.
The Context
Trump is currently touring several Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
All three countries have pledged to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the U.S., purchase American-made weapons and do business with the Trump family.
Qatar will also donate a $400 million luxury jet—described as a "palace in the sky"—to the United States. The jet will first be used as an updated Air Force One and later be transferred to Trump's presidential library foundation for his personal use after he leaves office.
Trump's foreign trip to the Middle East does not include Israel, which immediately raised eyebrows among hawkish conservatives, like Pence, who say they're worried about the signal that could send to the U.S.'s longtime ally.
Mike Pence listens as President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on December 6, 2017.
Mike Pence listens as President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on December 6, 2017.
Evan Vucci/AP
What To Know
Pence weighed in on Trump's itinerary Wednesday morning, telling reporters he was in Washington that he was "concerned" about Israel being excluded.
"The combination of these things has got me concerned," Pence said.
The "combination" refers to a number of recent developments, including the Trump administration's ongoing talks with Iran over its nuclear program, Trump's decision to pause offensive operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas' decision to release the last American hostage while keeping the remaining Israeli hostages captive.
Pence told reporters he was "disappointed" that Trump's foreign trip doesn't include Israel, according to the National Review. The former vice president reposted the outlet's story on his comments on X (formerly Twitter).
His comments on Wednesday followed a lengthy opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal, in which Pence said the second Trump administration is sending "troubling signs" on a host of domestic and foreign policy issues, including tariffs, the U.S.-Ukraine alliance and U.S. policy toward the Iranian regime.
The former vice president compared the current talks between American and Iranian officials to what he described as the "failed nuclear deal" crafted by the Obama administration.
Trump weighed in on the state of the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks while he was in Qatar Wednesday, saying: "The non-friendly [approach] is a violent course and I don't want that...They have to get moving. They have to make that decision. It's their decision."
Pence initially stayed in the background since his break with Trump during his first term, when Pence refused to block Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.
Trump's calls to stop the certification, which he billed as "Stop The Steal," culminated in the deadly January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, during which mobs of Trump supporters were heard calling to "hang Mike Pence."
Pence congratulated his former boss when he won the 2024 presidential election despite their bitter falling out. The two men made headlines earlier this year when they shook hands at former President Jimmy Carter's funeral.
But Pence has since rebuked Trump on a number of issues, including Trump's decision to pardon almost every January 6 rioter.
"I was deeply disappointed to see President Trump pardon people that engaged in violence against law enforcement officers that day," Pence told CNN last week. "The president has every right under the Constitution to grant pardons, but in that moment, I thought it sent the wrong message."
On tariffs, Pence said, "I do have concerns that, with the president's call for broad-based tariffs against friend and foe alike, that ultimately the administration is advancing policies that are not targeted at countries that have been abusing our trade relationship, but rather are essentially new industrial policy that will result in inflation, that will harm consumers, and that will ultimately harm the American economy."
What People Are Saying
Israeli analyst Shira Efron told Politico of Trump's trip to the Middle East: "He's going to the Arab countries and they're treating him like royalty. There's a Trump golf course, a hotel, a plane, all these things. It's a question of at what point do they want to use this economic leverage they have with him to ask him to please curb Israel in Gaza and Iran and stabilize the region?"
Former Vice President Mike Pence told CNN last week: "Whatever the future holds for me, I'm going to try and be a consistent voice for those conservative values that I think are not only the right policy for the Republican Party, but I think they're the best way forward for a boundless future for the American people."
What Happens Next
Trump's tour through the Gulf states is still underway and is scheduled to wrap up by Friday.
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